Wraith: The Journey of Origin
by wraithorigins
Summary: First of the trilogy. A collection of interwoven stories from a hybrid's POV exploring the origins and the start of the Wraith-Lantean war in Pegasus Galaxy. Not your run of the mill SG: Atlantis or Wraith fan fiction. Anti-Ancient/Lantean. OC: Miriya, wraiths unused in SGA.
1. Chapter 1: Silence

Wraith : the origins.

Disclaimer: the Stargate franchise and aliens that they created are the property of MGM. This is just a fictional story made out of fun and has no profit or commercial value derived from it.

The purpose of this story follows in part the Atlantis canon on Wraith and some pure speculation on my part. There are some original characters which are owned by myself. Any constructive comments are welcome in this pilot.

P.S. Ancients are the bad ones in this fiction. So are any Lanteans. Misanthropy aplenty here.

This takes place before the Wraiths became what they were. Edited 2016

* * *

(Pilot) Chapter 1: Silence.

The splintering ashes from afar illuminated the skies. Screams amidst the loud explosions from the distance could be heard from a distance. _Agony. Pain. Burning alive. _Dark little shadows dropped against the bright blinding backdrop of what once used to be a city. Acrid smoke plumes filled the once crisp cool atmospheres, creating an eerie cloud of suffocating and biting wafting fumes. The once clear night starry skies had the machinery of doom laying waste with the destructive beams of fiery temporary pillars. The attack was swift and brutal, the inhabitants caught unawares. _Cold blooded annihilation. _Every single being who failed to make it to the hills before the second ship arrived could not have survived.

_Why? _Her large brown eyes looked silently in confusion from the hill side as she curled up as the telepathic floods of immeasurable suffering assaulted her being, twisting up in pain. _Lies. They lied to us. Our creators betrayed us. _A lump formed in her throat as she struggled with the mind assault. The voices in her head fading. _They are dying. _With each growing silence, she felt wrenched from within as though her innards were torn from inside. She grabbed her temples mournfully. Her mind could shunt them out but something within her stopped her. She had to feel it etched forcefully into her memory. Vengeance needed fuel. To their creators, they were nothing more than an experiment of something they called Ascension. They were little more than garbage to be discarded at will.

Muffled whimpers from the little ones surrounded her as they instinctively bit on their lips, avoiding any escape of loud noise which may alert the attackers to their location in the hills. She carried one in her arms as the child held out her tiny fingers towards the city and whimpered "mama", golden tears streaming down the child's glowing eyes. Loss. The children felt it. Sorrow. She felt their emotions. They escaped the city into the nearby glistening webs of the jungle. None of the attackers will follow. Her creators called the jungle cursed and spread tales of horror which laid within. Creatures which take lives readily. Creatures which were the monsters.

Yet, her creators were the bigger monsters. Ancients, they called themselves. Lantea, they hailed from. The four great races which span the stars as the myth was passed off by the most pompous one. Superior in all ways, they said. Yet their technology was dead. No sound, no pulsing life force. Nothing to be felt. A branch brushed her long hair as she walked on.

_**Come, children, we must go further. Safety is there. **_ Her mind presence swiftly imprinted on theirs aloud. Survival was an immediate priority. The straggling group of six small bodies followed her. Sniffling and weeping accompanied the shaking tiny forms as they struggled through the overgrowth. They were all that was left of the once glorious city. The City of Life. Pulsating buildings which were filled with thoughts of the population. Now silent.

"I want Mama" whimpered the female child in her arms, clutching at her long ebony hair. _**Silence , child, emotions are a weakness now. Your survival and of the rest are paramount. **_She sighed softly as the child held her tightly, tears flowing as the tiny body struggled to muffle the grief.

The cold air was no good to her group. She was taught to regulate the temperatures in the dead place. In fact, she was taught a lot but the knowledge was at best, worthless now. The Ancients called the dead place a facility. A facility for the young who lost their parents in duty to those _monsters_. The young were susceptible to climate changes. Her oldest memory was of the cold dead place with blinking dead machines. _Compassion_, they told her for those who served the Ascension cause. Oddly, she did not feel their _compassion_ there. She did not question them but the City felt _warmer and alive_ \- a bond. Now gone.

Despite her differences, the City did not mind her. She grew up differently amongst them yet she could _hear_ the occupants near and far. They accepted her. Treated her like theirs. Fruits, blandless but nutritious, were shoved into her hands as she wandered about on one of those rare free days. Strange beings patted her on the head in an almost _likeable_ way. Always with their left hands. Never the right.

A yelp interrupted her thoughts and she returned to the dank darkness. _** Help. He cannot go further**__. _ A soft but sharp plea of an older child echoed to her mind. Tiny glowing pairs of eyes followed her.

_**How bad is he? **_She looked at the three children trying to prop their fallen companion up as she walked towards them. The murmurs of the group grew louder in her mind._** Cold. Hungry. Weak**__._ The situation did not look good and the temperature was still falling. They were exposed to the cold. Their mind presence were weakening. A bad sign. Fire would alert the attack ships in the skies to them. Not an option, she sighed. Her weary eyes scanned the landscape. A cave was near but there was an unsettling hum to them.


	2. Chapter 2: Hum

Wraith : the origins.

Disclaimer: the Stargate franchise and aliens that they created are the property of MGM. This is just a fictional story made out of fun and has no profit or commercial value derived from it.

(Pilot) Chapter 2: Hum.

_Hummmmmm_. The humming grew louder as she carried two children on her back. Her sack was carried by an older child. The rest followed hesistantly. A agonising shrill scream of a native animal shot through the forest. The Webs. Some of the children stopped. Their bodies frozen in fear.

_**Move, children, we need shelter. **_ Her mind cut through their thoughts like a blade. _Terror. _They felt it and so did she. She soothed their minds with a melody of strange words and symphony as they entered the dark edges of the cave.

A frightened scream from a child alerted her. One has went ahead out of her sight. The two children clambered off her back quickly and huddled with the other three. She steathly went ahead and noticed the dark cave floor in front moving but away from her. _**Where are you? **_She could still sense her charge as her eyes tried to reflect any light for a visual.

A soft terrified cry reached out to her. _**Tthhheyyy aaare suuuurrrouuunnndddding meee... **_Her eyes scan quickly. The Iratus. The cursed eyes widen in a mixed feeling of surprise and horror. The dark bodies were moving around her young charge who was frigid in her standing posture. _Hummmmmmmmmmm_. The humming was loud but she felt that it was more of a _curious_ hum than a _predatory_ one. Then a cold presence entered her mind...insectoid...she did not understand what it wanted but it was there...prodding in a questioning way.

A _comforting _hum. One of the dark bugs starting a pulsating hum towards the frightened child. The rest followed. A path was made on the smooth cave floor as the creatures moved aside between her and the frigid child. _Why?_ She looked curiously at the dark armored bodies. _The insectoid life form had more compassion ? A mind presence unlike theirs. Trickery. It must be. Rounding up the prey, probably. _She shuddered as she ventured cautiously towards the petrified child. _Quick movements may be fatal. _Her mind calculated the options quickly. She gingerly picked up the child. _No. Nothing_ . _Maybe something will drop on them._ The insects were humming. _A sense of familiarity, perhaps? _She shuddered as the insectoid mind presence increased with the humming then noticed the cave was radiating a _warmth_. The dark bodies were just humming and pulsating. _Just like the City of Life. Could it be? No. Impossible. Just. No. _She shook her head. Her mind was playing tricks on her. No way, it could not be. A sense of familiarity swept over her. It was as though...the insects recognised a kin in them through the telepathic communication. The patterns of insectoid mind presence was similar yet unrecognisable. Mutually unintelligible but there it was. Feeling hers , softly questioning.

_Hummmmmmmm_. She returned and found the children huddling in a crevice out of exhaustion. Unaware of the danger above. The Iratus were above, she bit her tongue. Yet the cold cave was now warm. The child in her arm grabbed onto her tightly at the horrifying sight.

_**Quiet. I am going to put you down. **_ She glanced at the terrified child.

_**No. I ammmm scared. **_The girl's eye slits widen in fear.

_**Strength my child, strength. The rest are in danger.**_ She laid the child gently down and beckoned at the entrance. The child moved towards the light of the stars.

A whimper was heard. One of the older ones noticed the Iratus above him.

_**Slowly , move to the entrance.**_He nodded and shook the other awake.

_Hummmmmmmmmmmm_. The dark bodies moved around to watch them as the children sneaked by as silently as they could.

_Hummmmmmm_. _Hummmmmm. _In front of her, the dark armored bodies starting moving out. She looked on in absolute. They were _moving_ out towards the direction of the children.

Chilling screams were heard._ Agony. Pain. Fear_. Darkness shrouded her senses swiftly as she collapsed into the cold hard floor. _Promise... broken... I failed. A_ tear ran down her cheeks.

* * *

"Wake" a prod at her arm. _Prod Prod Prod. Stop it. _Her eyes opened to the blinding light beyond and a small shadow with something in the arms.

_Poke. Prod. Poke. Stop it._ She hissed. More small shadows appeared. _The children?_

_**Yesterday...?**_

_**We are fine. **_Their replies chorused through her mind. A warm embrace from the six bodies all on her. She gasped.

_**Last night...?**_

A large chorus of excited babbling went through her mind and she groaned. The older child nudged the rest who immediately went silent.

_**The insects protected us.**_ He replied with a firm hardness.

_**The insects?**_ She looked questioningly.

_**The attackers came and the insects swarmed around them. The ground outside has 6 bodies. We saw two flee. **_His bright eyes met hers in answer.

_**Oh**_. She looked up. Three Iratus hung idly by on their webbed perch. Then she look at the youngest child who was petting ..._NO._.._ an iratus_ in her arm.

_**Put that down. **_She ordered the child.

_**Why?**_

_**Just put it down. It may bite.**_

_**No**_.

_**PUT IT DOWN NOW. **_

_**NO NO NO. **_The child stomped. _Hummm_...the insect hummed as though it was _enjoying_ the argument.

_**Fine. Be eaten by it then. **_

_**Okay. It has not eaten me but its friends ate the 6 bad beings. **_A small grin broke across the little imp of a child_**. And they look like you. Just like you. But their eyes. **_The child paused and met her eyes. _**Are not like yours in the dark. Yours shine like ours**_.

She sighed loudly. Yes, she is _different_. _**They look like me but I am not them**_. Her thought resonated with a resigned tone. _**I am sorry**_. The child looked apologetic and pouted as the older one glared at her.

_**We know. You are all we have. **_Their thoughts chorused in unison as their eyes fixated intently on her.

_**The sack? Inside are fruits. Eat sparingly. **_She was glad to change the topic as they went over the sack and gobbled the food greedily. Some started sounding like they were choking. _Charming_. And normal.

The older child came over, with his fruit juice laced hands, grinned and passed her one. She chewed on it slowly. She needed the strength.

She stood up and walked to the entrance. In the distance, she saw two immobilised bodies on the webs , and possibly the others in the grass where there was no movement in the breeze. _Crunch_ . She took a chunk out of the fruit and savored the sight. They _looked_ like her but they are _nothing_ like her.

She is _different_ and never once did the Ancients fail to remind her. She had a name, unlike the rest of her brood. An ancient name assigned but little did the Ancients realised that she, like the children, could recognise and differentiate individual mind presence. There were no names required with mind presence when she needed to speak with those of the now destroyed city_. _

_Oh the Great Ones, the pompous ones, the ones all knowing. Two stuck in an Iratus web. _Trampling everyone and anything in their pitiful bid for Ascension. _They deserved_ it. To be eaten by those they deemed as the _lower_ lifeforms. She closed her eyes and savoured the breeze with smug satisfaction. It brought an occasional rattling gag of death from the two bodies. One was barely alive, slowly consumed by the Iratus. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled.

Hummmm... the insect's shimmering webbed ebony wings sang over the engorged abdomen as it slowly vacuumed the life force of its Ancient prey.


	3. Chapter 3 : Bitter

Chapter 3: Bitter.

Three days past. Three long days. The skies were filled with fireworks of ships firing down on the other settlements on the planet. The bombardments were long. The explosions rang far away from the distance._ The Other City_. She sat and gazed at the brightened skies. The children were safe. For now. The comforting hum of the insects lured them to sleep. It was as though _they_ knew. _A kinship? With insects? Yet FAMILIARITY._

_The Other City was like their City. She only had been there once to take some crystals from an Ancient. Pulsing with life. Strange beings were not too friendly there. But she was a stranger to them. _She grimaced_. Now they are fighting back. They seemed to know._

She gazed at the children sleeping. Above hung the Iratus. As though the insects were _guarding_ them. The Ancient scout party probably did not see the children while foraging through the Iratus infested forest. None came back. That was not their way. The two bodies were now gone from the webs. Iratus were neat,_ for insects_. Any uneaten parts were discarded as bait for wandering scavengers. An ominous warning of venturing into the cursed jungle flashed through the Iratus webs - they glimmered like stars.

A loud booming ring ranged across. She looked at the blinding shot of light. _The Other City gone. _A large plume of dust started forming above. _Gone. Betrayed by their creators. _Tears welled up in her eyes. _Why?_ What was the sin of the beings? That they took the life out of others as the Ancients ordered?

The Ancients. _Difference_. Her thoughts wandered off to the distant past.

"Miriya" , her first memory. A soft feminine voice called her. _Miriya, _that was_ the accursed Ancient name _they gave her.

_"Miriya is different" . _

_"Miriya senses them, her neural networks seem to heighten when one was around". _

_"Of course, she is part of them. Remind me why we even gave her name when the rest barely need one...well except for the old one". _Those cold blue eyes of the Ancient man looked at her with the curiosity of ice. He tipped her chin. Felt her skin as he rubbed her hands. _Nauseating_. "She looks like us but her physiology seem to be more of those _things". Arrogance. _

_"Why is she made so physically alike in appearance?" _His voice demanded_._

_"It was the only template we had captured from the opposers. Ours do not work but theirs do". _

_"Fine. Just isolate her from the rest. The others might actually think that she is one of us". _His voice ranged with disgust_._

_"Child, follow me". Miriya _nodded. her tiny hands grasped the lady's warm hands. Her eyes wandered around the cold dead place. There were tanks of... moving things. _Miriya_ stopped and stared, tugging at the lady's hands. "Those are Iratus, my dear, they eat animals or_ ones like us_ caught in their webs". The feminine voice mused.

Another loud boom ranged snapping her out of her flashback. The six children had gathered around her. Some whimpering, some crying. _Fear_. She smelt it amongst the earthy scents they gathered. Their mind presence mingled and swarmed with panic. Her arms wrapped around the sullen group as much as she could. _Strength, my children. Strength. _A third city has fallen_. One she did not know. The one at the Horizon._

She looked at her brood of stragglers_. _Their neat long silvery white hairs were now tangled with leaves and dirt off the Iratus cave. Their sweet spice like smell turned into scents of acrid soil. Their clean faces. Well not so _clean_. Her hand wiped off the dirt on one of their faces as they huddled around her restfully. The lights systematically continued as the bombardment went on.

She shut her eyes. _Hummmmm ..._ the insects went as they repaired the webs where bigger animals tore through_. _As though they were _comforting her. _It was bad_ tha_t the youngest started naming them like an Ancient. A gut wrenching moment made worse when they told her the insects seem to understand them_. Madness._ She thought bitterly. Insects with _more understanding_ than bipedal sentient beings like the Ancients.

_Bitter_. That was what the air tasted like.


	4. Chapter 4 : Decay

Chapter 4: Decay.

_"You have orders to look after her". _The lady said. She turned to her and said with firmness. _"You will stay with him at all times"._

A snarl was heard from the shadow and a glimmer of white gossamer hair flew into the light. _**Children of your kind are not my area of expertise. **_She thought she heard him say out loud.

A bitter dark reply echoed but a multitonal voice replied with choked control. "Yes, Melia". Oddly, the voice did not register with what her mind was told.

A large hand grabbed _Miriya's_ tiny fingers. Its claw-like fingernails scratching her delicate baby skin. _**It hurts. **_She gave a reactive yelp as he let her go. The lady turned to the door and walked out closing it firmly.

The shadow went into the light. She gasped as the creature lowered its face to hers. Its skin was marbled with greenish and light yellow undertones. Eyes with speckled yellow and slits instead of round pupils. With a hint of surprise, it hissed softly.

_**You heard my thoughts, child. And I heard yours.**_

She nodded hesitantly and stared at him in shock. His facial structure was odd. No eyebrows. Only a ridge. His nose and mouth were similar but they were peculiar. The _being_ chuckled softly and smiled, showing two rows of sharp teeth.

_**Yes and my teeth are sharp. Sharp enough to eat you, my child.**_

She ran to the door and banged it with her tiny fist, screaming her head off. As the being ventured closely to grab her, she turned around and bit his fingers as he tried to get hold of her. With a quick backhand, her waif-like body flew across the room and she blacked out.

That was how she met him. The only _being_ who became a treasure trove of life to her. The first being she had spoken in mindspeak.

...

* * *

Her thoughts snapped back to the present. The children were foraging for fruits from the bushes. Their supplies were running low.

The oldest child looked up suddenly and frowned.

_**I smell something bad**__. _His face grimace as he turned towards the direction. She walked over to him. Their sense of smell was more acute than hers. He was an uncomplaining child. A sensible one.

_**There**_**. **His finger pointed towards a large bush about two lengths of where they were. She moved cautiously towards it. Oh yes, there was a smell. _Smell of decay was getting stronger. _Her hands trembled slightly as she steadied herself to move the part of the bush.

The children gathered behind her. The soft rustle of leaves as their small boots moved towards a glimpse.

_**Stay behind me and be quiet. **_She commanded and they obeyed.

Her mind steadied for the percieved horror. She drew the branches back and saw a partially eaten Ancient corpse. Its blonde hair caked with dried blood. The face twisted in agony. The chest had feeding marks. The legs were partially chewed off by another beast. Three Ancients' husks laid nearby. Her mind went blank at the side. There was another survivor from the City. Their peaceful hideout was no longer safe.

_**We have to leave NOW. **_She pressed urgently. The children were in shock again. They were never exposed to the _adult way of feeding_. _A dark bitter thought filled her mind. Clouds. Bitterness. _And a scream from one child rendered her cold as she turned around to see. It was him.

_**Teeth sharp enough to eat you, my child. **_He grinned with his sharp teeth at the screaming child struggling in his arms. The rest were frozen in fear.

She went up to him. And did the _unthinkable_. She lept and bit him in the hand fast enough to draw blood. Then jumped deftly avoiding his backhand.

_**YOU. Stop it.**_ She glared at him.

_**Now, my dear, was that a mating call? I don't recall teaching you mating rituals.**_

To the incredulous looks of the children, she groaned at the underhanded remarks as she took the bewildered child off him.

_**Ashes. Not funny. The children has never seen adult feeding.**_

He laughed merrily with his teeth shining like razors in the beams.

_**Lighten up, CHILD. All will grow up one day and better the sooner they learn**_. He patted her on her head.

_**Do you know this mad one?**_ The oldest child looked at her quizzically.

_**Oh yes. We are safe with the old one here. **_

_**I am not THAT old but you still call me Ashes. Are names that necessary for you? Too long with the enemy? Soo...I take it that this is child 1, child 2 so forth.**_ He hissed softly and beamed his teeth at the six children with a wink.

_**Ashes. They are children. What of the city? **_She threw a glance at his form.

_**The city is my namesake to you. So as to speak. In ashes. They destroyed everything.**_ He growled at the tragic fate of the city.

_**How did you escape?**_ She prodded. He bowed his head and stroke his beard sorrowfully.

His deep rich multitonal voice reduced to a mere whisper. _"I was away in the other settlement. Then we heard rumours. That one city was going down at a time. "_ He hissed softly. _"I never trusted them. They were using us all the time"_. His eyes brimmed with tears but he kept it from flowing. _It was their way. " At least, the children and you are alive. How? "._

_"You told me never to trust them and always listen. I listened in when they ordered a shutdown. I rerouted the rigging code to the back door to jam the locking device while all of us ran out. Like how you taught me" _

He smiled sadly and nodded.

_"The others?"._

She shook her head.

"_They took them away a day before. We heard screams but they said it was a mass procedure that was no more than drawing blood. Had a bad feeling. "_

He projected his images of the city into her mind. It was covered in dust and of the facility, there were six small decaying bodies in twisted rigor. She shuddered at the projection._ It could have been them_.

_**Well, where have you been staying? **_He eyed her with curiosity, brushing the images off her mind.

_**Iratus cave. Three days with insects. **_She expected admonition.

_**Ahh. Yes. You would have been one of them sacrificed then. **_He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

_**What do you mean? **_She pushed_**.**_

_**You have our gene or you would have been killed by the Iratus. It now makes sense that they wanted me to care for you. You were considered... lower of the low. An abomination in their eyes. **_He patted her on her head with his left hand. _Always the left. Never the right._

_**Wha...wait...what? **_She narrowed her eyes at him. The puzzle pieces of the Iratus was starting to come together.

_**Welcome to the genetically modified club. Exclusive membership requires a team of Ancients to insert an Iratus gene with your genetic code. However , most of them, regretfully, were consumed by yours truly. **_He winked at her mischieviously with a grin_**. Oh and they are ...by right...our relatives. Just in pure insect form.**_

Decay. It reeks.


	5. Chapter 5 : Ashes

Chapter 5: Ashes

The children were now used to the Old One as he led them down a small path towards the denser undergrowth. They seemed _happy_ momentarily. Anything was better than living in a cave filled with deadly insects. She looked up gratefully. No more shimmery webs.

_**Child**_. The bitter growl echoed into her head. _**Best to let me lead now. The children need a ... caretaker. **_

She laughed. The Old One was never good with children. They adored him, as did she when she was a mere waif. It seemed that he was_ more afraid_ of the young ones than they of him. In his panic, he had turned his room polar ice cold to reduce her fever, almost reducing himself to a hibernation phase. He almost made her throw up when he thought that she was choking by slamming her back with his hand. The Old One. She smiled. The only _being_ whom she felt a type of _bond_. _Trust_ perhaps. Whatever it means. She ended with more bruises and pain with him trying to reduce her bleeding when she fell. But she knew. _He tried_.

The Ancients just silently watched. _Uncaring_. Until they wanted some samples from her, the word _trust _was thrusted at her. The facility technicians worded it constantly.

"Trust me. It would be a sting"._ Lies_. They ended up stitching her arm. The Old One was the one holding her hand while she laid in pain. _Always the left. Never the right._

_"_Trust me_, _it is just a scan". _Lies_. They had to deal with her convulsions. The Old One entered her mind and soothed her down with his symphonic presence.

"Trust me, it will take 15 minutes". _Lies_. It was until the Old One started hissing and growling at them posturing with his right hand that they stopped the deep gash on her neck caused by a wild animal loose in the market.

_Ashes_. That was what she called him. From a mere waif to her teenage years. _Ashes_. Because at times he felt _acrid, dry, cloudy_ and very _bitter_ in her mind. And also due to his uncanny talent at blowing up things in his laboratory. And the fires he caused. _Leaving ashes behind._ She swore that he did it on purpose at the chagrin at his Ancient Masters. She smiled as the children followed through the path playing a spotting game.

He never told her his age but she knew he was far older in wisdom. He was her treasure trove of life. Taught her survival. Taught her how to hold in a fight. Taught her how to code pranks in the Ancient databanks which created chaos with the facility technicians. Except it did not go down _well_ when he taught her how to blow up the side door. They were separated for weeks and she made a nuisance out of herself to be returned to her caretaker. The others were , well, _boring_.

_**Thinking of me, my dear Child? **_He grinned at her from the lower steps ,six children apart. She laughed and channelled the images of the Ancients raising their voices about the_ outrageous impropriety_ and the _blatant disregard _of his responsibilities while she merely looked innocent of the continuing list of accusations the technicians laid before him. It was _almost endless_. She stifled a laugh.

_**O the trouble you put me through. **_ He pinched his nose and shook his head with amused disbelief_**. Yes and that exploding paint cannister. **_ The Ancient scientist made the poor Old One scrub the laboratory room. He took the fall as always. She let out a laugh.

The children snickered as their minds weaved the scenario together. The Old One seemed so _stern_. He swiftly turned around and glared at them. _**My teeth is still sharp enough to eat you ,my children. **_They stared and looked down wistfully at their boots as they plod their bootprints on the soft mud.

They were reaching a large undergrowth when she sensed several presences. A hostile presence was coming close behind her and fast. Instinctively, she turned around to side step him into falling down. He got up with lightning speed and caught her foot down. Something sharp entered the back of her head.

"Ancieeeennnttt." The hostile hissed with fervoured hatred as he grabbed her throat and lifted his right hand. The feeding slit visible as the hooks unsheathed. _She was gone_. Screams of the children were heard in the background. Another shadow pushed him off her. _Ashes_. She_ felt_ him. Her mind faded into the darkness as a small warm pool of darkened blood started forming below...

_Ashes. _Her last thought_. _Screams echoed into the silence of the trees_._


	6. Chapter 6 : Life

Chapter 6: Life

Fire convulsed around her. The flames dancing at their tips as they floated around her body.A strange music wafted through while the fire surrounded her. Voices of unknown beauty sparkled through the orange flames.

She saw, she heard, she felt. Fire was supposed to burn. It did not. _Where was she?_

_A symphonic tone ran through her body creating a rainbow of a shudder. Rainbows can shudder? Quaint feelings. Seeing became touching. Touching became hearing. Hearing was also seeing. Triumvirate of senses. _

_This must be famed Ascension, she gazed wonderously. The tones changed. No. Loss...the fire spoke. Loss. Tragedy... it sang. A new one must be chosen. You were stolen from us._

_**CHILD, WAKE UP**__. A swirling dust cloud came and swept the fire away. Her hands reached out. No. Wait. The fire did not. Her body, once light as the air, was thrown down into ... despair._

_The gravity hit. Pain and anguish. _

_**Child, wake up. **__The dark dust cloud pleaded. _She looked at it. Reality started seeping in slowly. _Ashes?__** Yes, Child**__._

_Her eyelids heavy as she struggled to lift it. Darkness. Fire. What did it mean?_

_The fire dancing far from her whispered. Taker of life...they sang softly. The orange wisps faded._

Her eyes openedto a pulsating hum. _City of Life? _A familiar shadow came within her vision. _**No, Child. This is a ship. Ship of the stars. Small it maybe. Strong it will be. Just like you. **_The grin came into the dim light. _Ashes?_

_**Yes, Child. **_

She tried to get up but a pang of sharp pain shot through her head.

_**Careful now, Child, your injuries are still serious. **_

A blinding pain shot up again, piercing her mind.

"What happened" she stammered , grabbing her head in agony.

_**A mistake, Child. A grevious mistake. I corrected it.**_

"Ashes, can we speak _normally with our mouths_ like we do to the Ancient Technicians? My head hurts with you in my mind"

_"As you wish" _He purred_ with_ a concerned look in his eyes.

"The children?" Her worried voice murmured.

_"Safe. On the ship. They have their quarters."_

"Are we in the stars now?"

_"No. We are still in the undergrowth. Hidden from sight. The ship has to integrate all the core systems." _He paused. _"Perhaps, you should rest longer."_

"And the one who attacked me?" The Old One got up and waved the door opened. Grabbing the once hostile hisser by his collar, he shoved him in front.

The former hostile presence. Merely an adolescent by his looks. No facial hair. Almost a fully fledged adult by his feeding hand. His eyes shot her a look by what she might mistaken of hatred but it was more confused than actual hatred.

_"Anything to say, my dear boy?" _The tone dangerously soothing for the Old One. It reeked of a certain sarcasm.

_"Sorry." _mumbled the boy. " _You look like the Ancients and they destroyed my city. My home. My family. Nothing was left_". A swift backhand from the Old One came, nearly knocking the errant one off balance.

"_She too lost her City and her home. Worse of all, they took her from somewhere and __did the unspeakable things to her. She has no family because of them" _The Old One spat venomously as he continued_. "She is part of us and the Iratus spared her. Three nights in a cave with the Iratus in their territory."_

The boy lowered his gaze_. _She sighed_._

_**It is fine. He did not know**__. Her thoughts radiated. __**I am tired. I need rest.**_

The boy looked at her silently - his eyes flickered with radiant specks of gold. _Unopposing. No hostility. Was it pity she sensed from him?_

Life. It was unfair.


	7. Chapter 7: Whispers

Chapter 7: Whispers

She wandered slowly around the Ship touching its organic smoothed walls. It was pulsating with _life_. The _Boy_ accompanied her as the Old One was busy. The formerly hostile one seemed young like a _boy child, albeit a dangerous one. _His mind presence was not strong enough to be granted a title yet it was discernible. An adult but not a fully fledged one.

_Full core integration,_ as the _Boy_ explained, was _important_ to the ship when it entered space. _Whatever that means._ She never travelled beyond the skies so it was exciting but daunting. Then he continued in his _strange_ tongue about _organic technology_, _dormancy_ and something about_ lack of detection in hibernation mode_. She nodded politely as he excitedly pointed to a panel and rambled away.

She patted the walls. The ship hummed. _Like the Iratus in the cave_. Then a squeal of delight from a familiar face followed by a rumble of bodies. The children! Safe! The boy looked at them curiously as the oldest child rambled on excitedly about a new _future. Whatever that means. _They survived._ That is all which mattered_. An elderly _being_ , not too unlike Ashes, came by and took the former band of young stragglers off to _lessons. _However unlike Ashes, he eyed her with a strange suspicion while showing profuse courtesy. _Unsettling_.

_Whispers_ , she heard them. Each time, a group of beings walked past her. She felt the _whispers_. Their eyes trained on her with _suspicion. _Nothing she could change those stares._ The Ancients said she was different. Differences. She was different to them there. Different to the others here. Caged in her body. She felt it._

A sharp burn gnawed on her right hand. It started in the morning. _Probably nothing to worry about._ She had her fair share of cuts and bruises. It was possible in the fight that she may have injured it. No far worse than what the Ancients did to her in the _facility_. The _Boy_ stopped rambling and looked at her warily. She was scratching her palm every step of the tour through the ship. He _noticed_.

_**Is there a problem with your hand? **_He pointed to her right hand.

_**No. Probably scratched it in the fight with you. **_She hid it behind her back.

_**Ah yes. **_ He tried to steal a look.

_**Maybe nothing.**_ She moved away defensively.

_**Sure. **_The look of curiosity and concern showed on his face.

Awkward silence ensued. Then another group engrossed in their excitement over the information on shared data tablet walked past them. One of them accidentally bumped against her. She growled in response. He looked at her in surprise. She could smell his _weak_ nature and the life fluid pulsing through him. Her eyes fixed on him. The group stopped. Her mind presence was rapidly being engulfed by whispers. Deep black whispers from within. A predatory instinct was calling out like a beast to be freed. It was not the first time that she felt a burning hunger. Consuming her from within the deepest recesses of her mind ameliorating her defensive struggle to regain control.

_{Kill the weak one. He does not deserve to live. Survival is for the fittest.} _The whispers continued. The _desire_ to hold him down was _great_. Her hand clenched tightly. {_Attack him_.} The whispers nudged. {_Take his lifeforce, savor its sweetness.} _She bared her teeth at him and hiss. {_Take what is yours.} _Her senses heightened. Her eyes scanned the room_. {Slam him. Slam him down.} _The whispers grew louder.

_**STOPppp.**_ The weakling's voice cut through her mind with a soft thud.

_**Growwwwwwwwwl. You cannot stop ME. **_Her mind retaliated. The whispers swirled around caressing and flaming the raging inferno within her. { _Take him. Take him down.}_

A shimmer of light burst through her mind. _**Watch ME. **_It goaded her on_**. **_The bigger of the group was positioned to jump in.

The whispers struggled against the burst. The light resonated in her mind, stabbing it with each light shard. The bigger one_. {Ah a fight he wants, a fight he gets. }S_he sniffed him. _Sweet defiance_...she could _consume_ that with brutal gusto. _The whispers resounded a gleeful tune. {KILL HIM. KILL HIM NOW.}_

_**Something is not right with her.**__ A faded background noise said to a bitter dark thought in her mind presence. Other voices were talking. _Her eyes trained on the scene. Her body poised to attack. The bigger one of the group was in a position to defend her attack.

A loud roar entered the room. A blue ray of light hit her and the whispers retreated into the dark corners...the room faded slowly as she fell to the ground.

_**Take her to the feedlots. Let's see how much damage she can do there. **_A bitter tone of a cutting mind presence entered her deftly pushing the whispers away before the black void enveloped her. It was not Ashes. A mind of a stronger adult.

_Whispers. In the blackness._


	8. Chapter 8 : Revenge

Chapter 8: Revenge

She groaned on the cool floors. Her head was in a thumping blur. Her eyes could make out large cocoons in the huge hall. It was too big to be a room. A hall it had to be. With _faces_. She shook her head and rubbed her temples. _Imagination_. She blinked her eyes at the floor and looked up again. _Cocoons with faces_. So not her imagination. Unfamiliar faces. Some with a _dead look_ in their eyes. A soft groan from a cocoon behind her was heard. She spun around. The jaded blue eyes looked at her. _Help_, its mouth tried to move its lips. She stared at the face. It was _familiar_ from past memories.

The cocoons started stirring with minute movement. She looked around. _Hope she sensed. Hope that she could free them. _The_ burning _of her palm started flaring up with fierce intensity. _Food_. The whispers beckoned. _Food_.

_Help us_. The pleading in the eyes. _You are one of us. Help us._ The dire pleads echo through her head. She turned her head to one side and looked silently. _Feedlots_. Must be the storage area for their food. Why was she taken here? She was sullen at the thought. _Could they? Her, food? No_. She shook her head in disbelief.

_Help us._The pleading grew in volume on her mind. The cocoons were _trying to engulf_ her in pleas. _**SILENCE. **_her mind roared. They stopped. The faces looked at her in wonderment. She looked at the hall. There had to be about hundred cocoons in one passage way. And there were two more darker passages but there were webbed gates on them.

The organic doors opened. The Old One stepped in. His face expressionless. She searched his eyes for answers but they pierced through with a glare. _Ashes?_ She called to him. She was ignored. His mind was closed to her. He stood before a cocoon, looking in the eyes of its occupant and slamed his feeding hand into the thinnest area of the cocoon where the chest was. A blood curdling scream came and the other cocoons quiver. _Fear_. She smelled it in repulsive quantities now. The occupant aged rapidly and shrunk into a dried husk. The Old One broke eye contact with its now dead occupant when he removed his feeding hand.

_Ashes?_ She called him. He walked out of the door. Not even looking at her. _Confusion_. What was going on? _Food. The whispers gleefully flickered through her mind. Feeding. Take a life. Whispers danced. _She looked at the cocoons. _Help_, some of the faces cried in her mind. She sat on the floor and tried to clear her mind. Flashes of memories flooded into hers. It was not her memories but those in the cocoons. Flashes of _families. _Flashes of children running along the shorelines_. A young female holding hands with a young male. We have families. _They pleaded. _Help us against those monsters. _

She almost felt sorry for them. _Almost_. Then her thoughts projected into theirs. _No family. Poked and prodded. Injected and scanned. Monsters_, she sneered._ These are my monsters. _She projected the images of the Ancient scientists, technicians and the twisted remains of six children. The Ancient ships from the skies destroying city by city with their beams. _Beings screaming as the shower of light fell on them, evaporating their corporeal forms as she ran with the children. Cowards_. She spat. The cocoons fell silent._ The whispers brutally laughed at them in the deepest darkest corner of her mind_.

_You created your monsters to consume you. _

Revenge. It is cold but sweet.


	9. Chapter 9 : Boy

Chapter 9 : Boy

The breeze blew his long white hair in the air across his face. The night and red stars twinkle from the distance as the three moons were rising. He twirled his braid. _The female_. His thoughts floated with the breeze. _Different_. He snorted in contemplation as another one of his kind, Piercer, sat next to him quietly.

_**What did the Old One say? **_Piercer asked. After all, he understood the pangs of the first hunger. She was lucky that he came along with a stunner. The rest would not be merciful due to her looks...her very Ancient looks.

_**Keep her in the feedlots. He wants to see how she responds. We are not to communicate with her.**_ His retort cold.

_**She might betray us? **_Piercer pushed lightly.

_**The Old One has his own reasons. **_He threw a quick glance at Piercer and shrugged. They were unused to questioning the motives of the Old One.

_**I sensed that she is... well...not...right. Not like the ones from Lantea or the Ancients. Perhaps a little different.**_ Piercer mused as he looked at his long dark fingernails.

_**Perhaps but unlike the Lantean ones or Ancients, her thoughts are like flames of a fire. The rest seem to emanate more of a bluish white glow. With her, her eyes had a brutality. Not a pleading softness. **_He grasped his chin.

The other's mind drew up thoughts of a large fire from one of the plasma beam which engulfed his _City_. He growled in anger. Piercer sat silently beside him. Both of them gazed into the stars as the sounds of the night drifted in.

_**I lost those of whom I known too. **_Piercer threaded wearily into the vast anger growing of the other on his mind. A juvenile without the right of name yet. So much angst.

_His mother and her five mates. Gone. His nest brothers. Gone. They were not sired by his sire but they were close nevertheless. They played together. Got into scrapes together. And in one plasma beam, their nest destroyed. He was the lucky one and so was the other. Both had been_ lookPiercer ing_ for itching leaves to play a prank on the other's sister. Night was the best time to look for those glowing leaves. _

_The rumbling sound of a ship came and suddenly from the distance, a beam appeared. He and the other stopped. To the vision of horror. Screamings and cries radiated to their location. A dark shadow appeared. Run was the only command. The city was being destroyed. Run to the Iratus. He tried to run towards the city while three shadows appeared and grabbed him. Run to the Iratus. You will not survive if you return. There is nothing to do now. The City is gone._

_Powerless. _Piercer and other sat there silently in their shared thoughts of grief_. Mourning. Loss. His mother's soothing lullaby. His sire's musky smell as he taught his brothers about the plants. The other's sister was beautiful with her long straight reddish hair. Like fire. _The other wiped a tear_. She was beautiful. Their minds echoed the thought. _He wanted to wait until he completed the adult initiation to approach her. The females of their kind chose their mates. The other _knew_.

Piercer had completed his offworld initiation on those same ships which destroyed their city. Earnt him the right of his own sigils to his mind presence which his late mother called piercing. Now they commandeered one and made the necessary bio-organic adjustments to hunt down those alike the Ancients and draining them. It was so easy to identify the Ancients which emanated the bluish glow of force but those are... red flamed force...like_ the female_.

_**She is the same as those we were ordered to hunt. Drain their life force. **_The other shuffled the thought to him.

_**They played with her genes. And put a part of us into her.**_ The other added thoughtfully.

_**No. I think that they put a part of the IRATUS in her. Not us**_. Piercer sweeped the thought away. _**The Old One wanted me to watch her and report. **_He snorted in contempt that she was _even _part of them. _Closer to the insects_, maybe. _Acceptable_.

_**She is telepathic.**_ Piercer offered a plausible but flimsy explanation.

_**So are the Iratus. As the experimentation showed.**_ The juvenile's curt reply.

_**Well, I don't see anything wrong if she was part of us. **_Piercer countered carefully.

_**I do. She reminds me of those who destroyed my city. **_He hissed_**.**_

_**Her suffering is probably much worse than us. She has no nest. **_Piercer thought warily.

_**And probably owes no loyalty to our cause. **_He spat.

_**What is exactly our cause? **_Piercer asked him in exasperation.

The juvenile was silent. He had_ no real idea._ He heaved a loud sigh and got up to walk away into the darkness.

_Boy. No machinations of an adult yet. Rash. Impulsive. Maybe the description fitted_. Piercer thought to himself as he watched the lonely figure move into the undergrowth. _His sister would have liked him._


	10. Chapter 10 : Empty

Chapter 10 : Empty

Her eyes gazed at the incoming feeders. _Ten cycles_. They came, took and left. Her mind was empty. Even the ship was silent. Dead it was not. It just seemed that she was _cut off _from the pulsing life. The whispers danced around her mind, _gleefully_ announcing a killing one at a time. She tried to shut the whispers out from her mind and focused on the flames far from the void in the endless empty void. They grew further away as they echoed _taker of life. Loss. Tragedy. Empty._

Her right palm was forming a life of its own. It burnt through her painfully _deliberately_. It started from her palm and now it radiated through her arm. No one looked at her. Nothing said. Nothing done. She felt _invisible_. A prisoner of her dark thoughts. The cocoons remained silent. Except a sense of betrayal pierced through her when one was drained. They _knew_ there was no _sympathy_ on her part. She looked at her right palm. A swollen welt has formed in the middle. It itched painfully as though something was forming under the thin epidermal layer. She winced as she touched it.

She walked to an empty cocoon and curled up near the soft white threads. Her head rested on it. It was a soft cushion of mess. She pulled a thread and another. _Endless_. Like the webs of the Iratus.

The organic door opened again. Sigh. _Eleven cycles_. Her eyes caught the familiar form of the one who goaded her._ The one with the mind of a light bursting through_. The bigger one of the group. He stopped and looked at her. _No feelings. Empty_. He picked his feed, slammed and the _screaming_ started. She _muted_ all the screams out. It became a habit.

She stood up and walked towards him. She was staring blankly at him as he stared down on his _prey_ shrinking into death. He refused to meet her eyes. _No communication_. She stared blankly and raised her right palm. He turned his sight to her palm. _Silent_. His mind_ blocked _hers out. She sat down and looked up blankly at the cocoon of his _prey_ or whatever was left. He turned around and left her in the dimly lit hall. The doors shut. _Eleven cycles_.

She walked towards a cocoon with a face. Her look was ice cold. _Feed_, said the whispers. The eyes of the face looked at her in silence. _Cold blue eyes_. Ah yes. _No wonder it was so familiar_. She remembered him. The one who demanded her segregation from _them_. {_Grab his neck}_, urged the whispers. She grabbed it firmly with her left as a gasp escaped from his dried lips. His eyes looked at hers in silent terror. He did not understand. {_Drain him} , _the whispers spoke gleefully_. _Instinctively, she raised her right hand and slammed it on the cocooned area of his chest.

As she did that, her body froze when the most horrifying scream rang out. Her palms had a life of its own, the feeders tore through but there was no pain. She looked into his fading eyes and saw his immediate thoughts. _Abomination. You should not have survived. _His memories started flooding into her. The slideshow were horrendous. _Experimentation on live subjects. Tied down and conscious_._ An Iratus was brought out. Unspeakable. The subjects looked like Ancients but the agony of conscious experimentation. All for Ascension. _She increased the drainage to delve deeper into his mind. She saw _more_. She forcefully injected her mind presence into him, knowing full well how much agony it would cause on his mind._ And I am the abomination? _His heart was nearly giving up from pain. She reversed the flow instinctively._ I want to know more. Who am I? _His mind was giving up soon_. _A slow void was filling his thoughts. A fire entered her thoughts. A most agonising scream came out.

The organic door opened as three shadows looked on at the strangest sight. She turned and looked at them. Her eyes had fire around them. _Brutality_. And her palm felt only the dried skeletal remains. She removed them. The cocoons quivered at the sight. _Smell of confusion and fear. Weak_.

She smiled sweetly at the three shadows lingering in the doorway.. _Power. Trepidation. Predator. _The lifeforce she has taken was sweet in its powerless struggle. She closed her right hand as she felt it closed up. _Its hunger satiated_. The whispers disappeared. She was satisfied and walked towards the pensive shadows.

_Empty. She felt nothing. She is no longer their Miriya, an experimental toy of the Ancients. She is now their predator._


	11. Chapter 11: Memories

Chapter 11: Memories

She pondered on what she has learnt. Memories of her prey lingered in her subconscious. Most now avoided her even with her freedom to wander around. Even the children. They sensed a change in her. _Metamorphosis_. _Cold. Unfeeling. Changed. _She will not _apologize_ for it. She was exactly as her creators made her_. False memories_, they planted into many. The Old One was away, they murmured as she enquired. He _merely_ glanced over her, last they saw each other.

She indulged her time in study of records. No one will disturb her._ The Ancients. The Ancestors. The Lanteans_. _Alterans_. Many names for her former captors who created her as she looked through the databanks the Old One left behind. There were records of a facility where others fled on another world. There were _other_ worlds beyond the stars. Their world was certainly not the first.

_Lantea. The planet where some came from. A powerful fortress city which could venture pass the skies to other worlds. The Ancients seeded the galaxy with a weaker replication of themselves into other worlds. _She surmised_. Was she part of those weaker replications?_

There were erased entries of something else. She could only retrieve part of them through the sleepless nights. There was _another _offshoot of them. One which forced her creators to left their homeworld because of their so called belief in _free will_. Yes, her creators believed in _free will to make choices_ for _themselves_. Not others. Not her.

She saw it in her _prey's_ memories. There was no _free will_ for any of the subjects they experimented on.

She scrolled further through the databanks. _Genetic manipulation. Genetic markers. Immortality. Different species. _They even had a _cloning machine_. She had a good hearty laugh until her eyes wandered across _Ancient Technology Activation gene_. A gene required to_ operate _their vast dead machinery, weapons, ships, facilities and _even_ to turn on the lights. She paused. She _could possibly_ have it. There was a reason why they kept her away from their technology. She got smacked for even touching anything in their facility. Even the Old One could not _protect_ her from their smacking.

She shrugged at the thought. Not like she will going near them any time sooner. She was so engrossed in her research that she did not notice a tall figure entering the room. A polite multitonal cough alerted her to its presence. She spun around and saw a familiar face.

_The bigger one of the group_. She just gave him a polite nod and her attention returned to the databanks.

_**Am I disturbing you? **_His mind scanned hers. She _hated_ his telepathic signature. It distracted her like ..._ a piercing impalement_... slicing her mind peace. _Worse. He liked scanning her mind. She had learnt to block him._

_Silence. _

_**Well. I just wanted to ask you a question.**_He paused, waiting for a reply.

_Silence_. She rapped her fingers on the databanks and gave him her deadliest stare at him. _Annoyed_. _Irritated._

_**Have you gone offworld before?**_ He proceeded with one testing her boundaries.

_**No. Why?**_ A sharp reply cut through.

_**We will be going offworld in two tri-moon cycles to join the rest. You might want to gather some keepsakes from your world as memories. We do not know if we will return.**_ Calmly, he put it. _** Offworld for first timers can be daunting**_. _**The Old One is already with the rest.**_ He added.

She looked at him patiently. This was an interesting topic worthy of a response.

_**Have you been offworld?**_ Her curiosity peaked

_**Yes. During my adult initiation. **_He answered wistfully.

_**What is this adult initiation? **_She looked at him oddly.

_**We hunt our prey where the Lanteans take us and they return us.**_ _**We get the entitlement to adorn ourself with the black leather and earn a right to sigils for our mind presence. **_He replied softly.

_So your sigils is probably Stabber ..._ She asked in a mocking sarcasm.

**Just Piercer but a good guess. **A rich deep melodic multi tonal laugh rang out from him. **...and if you want to remember this planet. Take something for your memories. **

She nodded. Piercer turned. She caught a memory of a _laughing red haired female of his kind _in his mind. _Sister. Long past gone. _Piercer had opened a part of his mind as he left.

Her eyes lowered to the ground. _What memories?_


	12. Chapter 12: Chores

Chapter 12: Chores

The ship was alive with activity. Everyone was preparing for the departure. No one was left out. Even the children had to gather stores of food to sustain the journey. Well, _except the female child_ who had to accompany her teacher.

She was _allocated _to the Hunter group of eight. Lucky nine._ That was her_. Their responsibility was to gather _prey_ for storage_. _Stunning the _prey_ was the game. The ship preliminary scans showed the main attack fleet was gone. _Probably to vanquish other worlds_. There were still scouting parties on the ground.

_No prizes for guessing who the bait was_. They were deciding between _damsel in distress _or _beautiful seducer_. Then they decided on the middle. _Devious_. She _liked_ the plan. The hunters _knew _that the male Ancient species had a _weakness_ for females of _their kind_. And she _looked_ like an Ancient.

There was a problem. Being of _different_ species, beauty was _subjective_. They were not aware of what constitutes beauty for Ancients. A hunter suggested dyeing her ebony hair pale yellow and straightening her curls. His qualification - he met one before. _Not good_. The other disagreed saying that the male Ancient may detect the _false attributes_. Long arguments. She kept quiet while they debated. _Hissing, snarling, growling._ She yawned. Then they looked at her and asked, after all she did live in those facilities. Her contact may provide a _context_. She smiled sweetly and told them that she was _segregated_ from the other Ancients. It was back to _planning_ again.

Under the cover of the night, they dragged out the husks. They counted their husks to calculate the numbers. They needed enough to make it look like the _Iratus_ got to the scouts. _To cover their tracks_. Then the long trek into the _Iratus _territory. _Hummmm_...she looked appreciatively at them. Innocent killers. The Iratus were resting on their webs. Once again, the Iratus were their lifesavers. _Hummm_... it was as though the insects were in on the _plan_.

She felt one of the hunters grinned at her in the night._** You can understand them. **_

_**Yes. **_She hummed along with the _Iratus_.

_**So can I**_. He looked at one hanging over him. _**Brethen. They were once not so different from us.**_

She understood_**. **_They scattered the husks around the designated perimeter and left. Nine figures leaving behind the hum of the _Iratus _in the moonshine.

* * *

Day break. Light scattered through the ship's windows in her quarters. A stern knock on the door. Someone had salvaged an Ancient outfit of white leatherlike material from _somewhere_. Pant suit. Stretchable, they said. They failed to consider that it was also no good for the running bid. She shrugged. Cleaned herself up. Tied up her ebony curls into a bun and walked out. Much to the _amusement_ of the hunters. She did not care until one started _eyeing_ her exposed cleavage while clenching his right fist tightly. It was too tight to zip it up._ Probably that of a male Ancient. Knowing this bunch. _Oh he really wanted to slam his hand on her and _consume_. She knew the_ look of hunger_. She winked at him and he gave a low growl. The one who _understood_ her last night, hissed at the growling one. _Respect_. She _liked_ that.

They trekked into the nearby city. The air filled with the sweat scent of Scouts. She went ahead as planned. She attracted the attention by pretending that she was injured from fleeing. Spinning a tale of_ deceit_ about others of her kind being chased by lifeforce consuming aliens. The men gallantly followed her... into the trap. Except she was also stunned in the melee. The _apologetic_ hunter responsible for her temporary incapacitation had to carry her back on top of his load. It earnt him a _resounding_ punch.

It was repeated. Same action on another leftover of a city. She enjoyed trapping them. No one wanted to accidentally stun her again. _Stupid_ Ancients. She was their _death_. Task accomplished after the time spent. She enjoyed it. The store was replenished They now had to leave because the disappearance may attract attention. Or perhaps their next prey could _blame_ it on the Iratus.

The second tri-moon cycle was drawing soon. Time flies when she _was having fun_. _Different_ allocation inflight. They decided that she could join the rest of the first time offworlders in flight. They allocated the experienced officers to each of them. Hers was the annoying mind scanner. _Great. Stars better not burst inflight_. He did not look too pleased. Unlike the other gruff officers who impatiently smacked their charges over a simple mistake, he gave her three data tablets with the information necessary for her role._ Polite as always. Nothing nice about courtesy._ She much rather be with the hunting group. They were amusing with the _constant bickering_ . _Hiss. Growl. Snarl. The usual amusement_. But they were in the weapons control area.

* * *

A meeting was called for all the occupants. There were a total of twenty five including the six children. They were familiar with each other by now. More of a _rogue_ team. She positioned herself near the entry way. _Easier to leave and return to her quarters_. The overall commander was the _Elder_ who used to teach the children. In fact, his very sigils were The Elder for his mind presence projected an old drawl, heavy but nagging. The plan was set. There were five other ships in hiding. Theirs will be the protected ones. The _female_ child she saved was the deciding point. _To be protected at all cost_. The other ships only had males. _Weapons_ _Fodder_. That was what the other five ships were. Not all will survive to draw fire from the scout ships. Her mind went through his telepathic drawl about precious _Zero point modules_, increasing hull regeneration and weapons power transitions. The rest was strategic points of movement. _No hyperdrive. Attero device_. _Whatever it meant_. She will leave it to his officers. Sure._ Sail the stars from world to world. Not like she cared for it._

A shrill alarm went off in the midst of the meeting and she jumped towards the passageways. That alarm was the storage unit for _prey_. One had gotten loose. She ran out towards the storage area and met the eyes of a panicking male Ancient. He ran towards the exposed entrance of the ship. The rest chasing behind her. One of the hunters did not check him properly because he turned around with a dagger. _Oh this was how he got out. _

She lept towards him as he yelled at her. "Traitor!". Her reflexes was fast like the rest. But not as fast as one of the hunters. He got the _prey_ but roared. _Pain. Agony_. The dagger was stuck in his feeding hand. The _prey_ was struggling loose, grabbing the dagger out of the roaring hunter ripping through the feeding hand. Dark blood dripped into a pool on the ship's floor.

She jumped towards him as the rest dragged the hunter away from the scene. He was more of an _obstacle_ now than any help. A glint of the dagger came towards her and hit her left shoulder. A flash of searing pain vibrated through her arm but she was in her fight mode. The struggling _prey_ reached towards the dagger embedded in her. She slammed her feeding hand against his chest. He arched in agony as the barbs entered draining his lifeforce. She was draining him as brutally as she could. _For that hunter_. _The one who understood the Iratus like her._ The screaming man was now a husk in front of six horrified children hiding behind the crew.

She got up and staggered forward with the dagger in her shoulder. Her hair now soaking in her blood. One of the crew came over and pulled it out. She roared with pain but a warm feeling was now pooling around her injury. Suddenly there was no pain. She felt the injured tissues weaving together in a warming heat. Her wound was regenerating, much to the mixed feelings of disbelieving and bemusing looks of the crew. _They were not so different after all_. _Regeneration was in their blood_.

_**No change in plans. We take off once the moons are in alignment.**_ The Elder turned around as everyone went back to their quarters or stations. She dragged the husk of her_ feed_ out towards the undergrowth. _Etiquette of cleanliness was a necessity_. She could not _wait_ to clean the scent of_ food_ away. Perhaps _visit_ the injured hunter. Or look through the third data tablet of planetary systems. Maybe she will do all of that.

_Chores_. Can be that _exciting_.


	13. Chapter 13: Luck

Chapter 13: Luck

She ventured towards the injured hunter's quarters and found his door open. She peeped in. Three of the others were there inspecting his hand. Including her control center mentor. Their ridges seem to form frowns as the hunter growled softly, lying on his bed. The _feeding_ hand. _Not good at all_. She walked in boldly and looked at his hand from the space between them. One of the barbs was almost severed. _Dangling_ at best. _Not good at all_. The regenerative capability of their kind was_ dependent_ on feeding. _No food. No healing._ A wince from the hunter as the three examined the damage closer. The _dire_ situation dawned on her. He may _starve_ to death.

She looked at his face. _Agony_ was written all over it. His eyes looked at her with seeming _acknowledgement_ of his fate.

_**Iratus mindreader. **_His mind softly said.

_**Iratus brethen. **_She answered.

The three, oblivious to both, went out for a discussion. She knew it was the _worst_ that they have seen. She pulled a wooden stool up towards his bed and sat down. He gazed at her and smiled weakly.

_**With eyes of fire. In the dark of night. If you do earn a sigil, it should have fire in it. **_He tried to sound positive, making light at a time so bad.

_**With luck so bad. Your feeding hand stabbed. **_She replied sullenly.

She hummed the _Iratus_ hum in her mind. He closed his eyes and hum along. The stars. The moons. The shimmering webs of the _Iratus_. He was _barely_ an adult. Had no right to a sigil. Taller than most. Reflexes like _lightning_. Now the hand...

The three came back after a silent discussion and explained. One proposed sewing it back with the cocoon silk. _Stabilize_ it. Feeding would be _agonizing_ but someone could _drain_ the prey _partially_ to reduce a struggle against his mangled barb. However they had to trust him to share his rationed _prey_. Not many of their kind _trusted_ each other with _food_. Fights happened even within the closest hunting parties over _food_. It _even happens_ with nest brothers. The three in his room were not going to _share_. That is _confirmed_. They even told him straight that they could not. Because they were _critical_ to the ship controls. The Elder would _not_ allow it even if any three of them requested.

It was not _likely_ his hunting party will share. They _barely_ knew each other. And the _constant bickering_. He looked down in resignation. His life did not mean much to the _greater good_. If he dies, the rest would get _extra_ rations. That was understood. _It was their way now. _All he could ask for was a _decent_ death. Silently she piped into the discussion. She would _ help_ him. She will _trust_ him with her rations and to return it. She was not critical to anything. Except _baiting _Ancients.

Perhaps luck would have it. He mused as his mind recalled their conversations. The name which Ancients assigned to her, one she loathed with great passion - _Miriya_, was from an Ancient word _Mirira_ \- astonishing luck was its meaning. Her fiery eyes were not so hardened or brutal _today_. His _luck_ might still run out any day.


	14. Chapter 14 : Stars

Chapter 14: Stars

The ship pulsed with ravenous life. The Zero point modules were powering up. The control room was bustling with the crew.

The visual interface flashed in front of the flight crew. _Hull integrity intact. Hull regeneration system checked. Weapons systems intact. Life support intact. Environmental controls intact. Hyperdrive on standby. Thrusters intact. Engines gearing to maximum capacity._

Preliminary scans. _Five signs were scattered across the map._ _Moving to rendezvous point._

The Commander nodded as he tapped on the organic interface.

_Course set for the polar north. Trajectory set_.

_Deep scan running for scout ships above the atmosphere._

A low rumbling was heard as the ship started rising slowly above the sky line. The three moons stood beckoning it. The Iratus webs silently farewell the ship with a shimmery salute.

Cool tendrils of mist started running slowly into the floors. The crew were going about checking controls at each point.

The ship purred as it slowly turned towards its designated course as the long overgrown vegetation on it fell off. A lonely crater remained below.

_Increasing speed. Thruster diversion. Adjusting for atmospheric differences._

Piercer deftly tapped on his organic interface.

_Increasing speed to full power_.

The Commander nodded again.

_Reaching polar north._

_Signalling the others. _

_Atmospheric readings are usual. _

_All five ships in visual range. _

_Incoming signal from the first ship. Proceed as planned. _

A light was seen surrounding the dark more followed upwards.

_Incoming signal. All clear._

_Set thrusters to maximum. Divert available primary power to thrusters._

The mist started increasing slightly. They were moving up smoothly. The shimmering lights surrounded the ship as the thrusters broke the ship free of the planet's gravitational pull.

_Hull regeneration in progress. Minimal damage_.

_Setting course for the next planet._

The Commander looked intently into the visual interface as the fleet of six ships started moving off.

**Let me know if anything follows... **

Piercer nodded as he nervously eyed the sweep sensors. It was the most dangerous time. Lantern ships could still be lurking around behind some of the nearby dulling meteoroids which were also interfering with their sensors.

With a salvaged ship like theirs, it was precarious while running on bare minimum. They could only modify the old mechanical ship, an old merchant ship of another civilisation, with bio organic parts handed over by their kin which infiltrated the Lantean areas several cycles before the destruction began. The only defence they had was outrunning their enemies. Even the hull could at most protect against the radiating illuminating poison from the space hyper jump windows. Even that was a route cut off as the recent encoded transmission mentioned that the Lanteans invented some disruptive frequency to specifically intended to destroy their ships.

Chances could not be taken with a young female child on board. Their species needed her for breeding. Rumour had it that the Lanteans had targeted and annihilated most of the females. Another had it that some sterilised most of their females by exposing them to a radiation source. No one knew which was the truth but it was obvious that the males heavily outnumbered the females - if they counted the odd Ancient-looking one who fed like them. That was their only two.

* * *

Both of them looked out of the window in wonderment. The injured hunter and her. Both never saw the planet from the _other_ view. They were _first time offworlders_. It was... _round like a ball_. The moons looked so _big_. And the_ star_ she used to look at. It was another planet in the vast distance.

She was helping him with feeding, oblivious to the ship movements. Both only to return staring at the _space_. They could see another ship far off. Very much like theirs. _Smooth sailing_. She could get used to Space. Both poked at the window and it rippled against their touch. _Force fields_.

At least, his mind was taken off the pain on his bandaged hand. She could have swore that he hissed louder than her screaming _prey_. _Weak_. He had trouble combing his long straight white hair. Not to mention, his comb was stuck on a small side braid he forgot to untie. She spent a long time _detangling_ that because he refused the simpler method of cutting it off. She combed his hair and then dealt with his _fussy_ _demands_ of his _usual_ hair style. Proverbially, he was _pushing_ his luck. She almost stabbed the comb _into_ his injured feeding hand. _Almost_.

Until they saw the ship taking off to the stars. It was exhilarating. She left him to gaze at the vast space. It is almost nearing the next cycle and time for her to enter the control room.

Stars. That was her agenda for the next cycle. Watching stars.


	15. Chapter 15: Youth

Chapter 15: Youth

The first time in the control room was interesting for her. Her time at the control room was nearly over. Her mentor, Guide, had explained patiently to her the different functions and types of the interface, how they worked and how the Zero point modules affected the organic technology. He did not _babble_ away like the _Boy_, who_ incidentally _was attached to an_ ill tempered_ mentor. At every opportunity, the _Boy_ was hit, backhanded or smacked. Both ignored the abusive sight. She felt that Guide was brilliant at his work and loved explaining away the science despite his visible youth. _His mind bright like stars bursting in glory.__Survival of the fittest and the cleverest_. He would make a _great_ commander one day. That she _decided_. He did explain that those who delve in science, rarely make the_ transition_ to the command structure. But what did he know? He had a strange calmness in every situation_. _

The ship went past planets amidst the stars. The gas giants were usually the largest and also the smallest. Questions started creeping through her mind during her duty at the control and followed her after she left. _Where did she come from?Or at the very least, where did parts of her come from before they put her together in a facility? Which planet? Near which star? _

She wandered down the corriders, thredding on the misty tendrils as she wandered past the weapons control room._ Hissing. Snarling. Growling._ The usual sounds from the hunters, something was always in _contention_. Two nodded at her and she returned their nods._ Mark of respect. For one who dares trust food with another. _

The children walked by her filed in a line. They were ushered towards their lessons by another crew member. The female child moved out of line and gave her an embrace on her leg. She looked down and patted the young female on her head. The rest moved towards her and bodies soon pile up against her body in a large warm embrace. Their usher growled at her in _utmost annoyance _at the apparent _lack of discipline of the young ones. Youth._ _Distraction. Intolerable. _She gently_ nudged_ them to file in line again and watched them slowly walk into the right passageway. Their heads turning to look at her back as she walked away. Another _irritated_ growl. Their heads bowed down in silence as they were ushered along the passageways.

She took a left towards the databank room. It was her routine to always go there at the same time and scroll through the seemingly endless information. And _perhaps catch a glimpse of the young she escaped with_. Her duty to them was _finished. Done_. To the _one_ the female child called _Mama_ during their escape_. Mama_ was also of _their_ species. A _female_ adult and probably Mama was not even her name. Different from Ashes. She stood regal with her long white hair but a firm unmoving look was always on her face. The regal one only took charge of the female child. Not _others_. They were _ignored_. She felt fear in Ashes when he met the regal one.

_A few days before the destruction of her City, the regal one came to see her, asking her to plan an escape as soon as possible and promise on honor that she will try to keep as many alive as possible. Honor. Strange word. Promise she understood as verbalised action attached with it must be carried out at all cost. The regal one never spoke to her before. So she sensed that it was really urgent. Possibly desperate. Escape to where? Run in the direction of the Iratus where the cursed jungle is, was the regal one's answer with undertones of nervousness. Promise me. Those were the last words before the regal one left. _Now it made _sense_. The _images_ of the horrific fate the other six met at the hands of the Ancients _flashed_ back.

An organic panel bleeped as reality _kicked_ her mind. She checked it and input the necessary commands as her mentor showed her. The ship purred in her mind as though _acknowledging_ her. Environmental controls was _tricky_ on an old ship like theirs. She then entered the databank room.

Usually the databank room was empty but two of the crew started going there with the occasional third. The two usual occupants was the smaller one and his _companion_. The two were _inseparable_. They were there with her mentor when she first met them. _Correction_, she nearly went _berserk_ on the smaller one , the first time they met. Both of them also started opening up to her and showing a tremedous amount of patience, despite her constant questions. They have an idea of where _they _came from. They called it a _nest_. Made out of a birthing female which _stored_ genetic material from one or several siring males. Ancients call those _parents_. In _their_ terms. Not the terms of those she was with. A brood could be made out of different sires yet be delivered at the same time. Together in Ancient _terms_, the unit was called _family_. Not a _nest_. _Insect-like_. She shuddered at the thought. They _snickered_ at her thoughts.

_**We descended from the Iratus. Not evolutionary. Let's just say that we were a result of an experiment gone wrong. Our ancestors escaped from one of the many facilities. The Iratus are our primeval counterparts. Our telepathy is inherited from their genes. So are our social structure, consumption habits, regeneration and..in part reproduction. **_They explained in unison.

_**So your birth mother laid eggs to be fertilised by your sires? **_Her reply was accompanied by another snicker from the duo. She was thinking of several eggs being laid by the female with male sires..._squatting_ on them? That was _just wrong._

_**No. We are just. Well. Complicated. Some can grow in pods but they never turn out normal. Their thought processes are ...well... rudimentary. They can obey commands but never really process or react to a situation... appropriately. Only instinctively. **_They smiled, their sharp teeth showing.

_**Then how?**_ She did not like _where this was going_.

_**Mating. Like the species you resemble but with a difference. Hard to explain when both of us have not gone through the process. There are very few females to the males in our species. Just like the Iratus. Mating could be fatal.**_ They _winked_ with a twinkle in their golden eyes.

_**Um. The female eats the male after mating?**_She was _thinking_ of the data tablets which gave a detailed explanation of how the Iratus Queen _ate_ the males after mating. She looked at her right hand. _Now that is very interesting, feeding off the male mate_. She could _live_ with that.

_**No.**_ _**The female does not intentionally eat the male. Our sires survived. **_A unison of soft multitonal snickering from the duo.

_**The female gets ... well... carried away ... in her mating throes. And it is best to keep her well fed prior to mating.**_ They added _enthusiastically_.

_**Have you consumed recently?**_ They eyed her _mischieviously_.

_**Yes. Two cycles ago. Why? Is that even mating request?**_ She glared. _Baited_. _Trapped. Ambushed. _

They _roared_ with cacophonic laughter. One of the senior crew _passing_ by stopped and looked in. Nothing much except a _confused_ glaring look on a female and the laughing duo. _At least, the joke was not shared on the telepathic network. Too loud. Whatever it was._ The crew member shook his head and walked towards his designated point. _Young adults. Of all the ships, he escaped to the one with most youth and one other species. Whatever she was._

_Youth. Just trouble._


	16. Chapter 16: Others

Chapter 16: Others

_Transmission incoming..._

_Scans indicate the planet has a herd settlement of approximately 20,000._

_Primitive. No signs of advanced technology._

_Enemy ships absent._

_One Gate of Lantean design. Hidden behind the valley._

_Raiding may be carried out with a good degree of success._

The Commander smiled. _Refreshments_ for their crew.

_Received. Prepare to land at the following coordinates at the given time._

* * *

Planets _passed_ by. Asteroid fields _passed_ by. The time was so _routine_ in the control room. The space was so vast and _empty_. The _only_ planetary excitement during the journey was of a pulsar forming at a far distance. The fleet of six took cover behind a planet. Direct radiation could damage the hull _unnecessarily_. Waste of resources were _unacceptable_.

Then there was burst of activity. Finally of what seemed like an eternity, they were _landing_ on a planet. Another world. The_ Boy _and her were the only two left to do most of the duties under minimal supervision. The others were still occasionally smacked or kicked by their mentors.

The hunter had recovered. He did not enjoy the part where they had to remove the cocoon silk from his formerly mangled barb. It took five of the adult crew members to hold him down when he threw two off. That anatomical area was very _sensitive_. On his word, he returned her the share of rations. Partially consumed prey. _Seconds_. _Distasteful. Calculative. _There was no cause for complaint since she did not specify on the first instance. That was her lesson. The debt was repaid as far as the crew said it did.. She should have stabbed his feeding hand when she had the _chance_. _Insufferable_. He called her his _sister_. Who fed their sister SECONDS ? Familiarity breeds contempt. She avoided him when she could.

The inseparable duo was still... _inseparable_. A few cycles ago, in her boredom, she rigged the codes, locking one in his quarters to see what happened if they were _separated_. The other just calmly sat down outside his door to his companion in _silent_ protest. Guide growled menacingly at her. He knew that she did it intentionally. She found it amusing until he gave her duties she hated. Checking panels across the ship. No controls for ten cycles. The duo appeared more forgiving until she found out that they packed several husks into her bed in her quarters after she returned from duties. _Atrocious_. _Contaminated_. Guide chuckled loudly in approval of their deeds as she complained before abruptly shutting her out of his mind. Her bed still smelled of death and decay. They had rigged the environmental controls to maximise the decomposition process. It did break the _monotony_.

Now for the landing plans, she walked to the meeting room. That may be _interesting_. The telepathic sounds of babbling images was getting stronger. Most were already in attendance, anxiously waiting for the Commander.

* * *

Duty allocations were given out. _Hunters_. _Again_. She was the _bait_. _Again_. The eight hunters grinned at her. No hissing, snarling or growling when it was decided. It seemed that bait was the _only_ thing they could agree on. They were told to stay back by a Second in Command, Vapour was his sigils. With a mind presence of penetrating humidity to one's bones, highly capable of inflicting mental injury. He was stern but quiet. He ignored her during the journey. When he spoke, everyone listened. No exceptions. Even the Commander listened to his views.

_**The bait. **_His predatory look scan her coolly from top to bottom. _**Has to take extra precautions.**_

_**The crews of the other ships do not know her. And their raiding parties will not be ... so kind to the appearance of prey. **_He paused. _**Given her contributions so far... it is preferable to keep her alive. **_

Murmurs broke across the hunters. It was not _good_ news.

Raising his hand as though to silence them. _Always left. Never right._ _**I would suggest that she will be issued a weapon. To defend herself . If necessary. All of you are responsible for her safety. **_He said solemnly.

Well, at least, Vapour noticed her existence. The _usefulness_ as _bait_.

_**Dismissed**_. He waved his hand.

She walked out slowly with the hunters. She was about to leave them to return to her quarters when one hand caught her arm roughly. She spun around in surprise. The group of eight hunters beckoned her to follow them. They were going to _teach _her combat skills. _A respect for one who dared share food_. No databank room until the raid. _Survival is priority._

* * *

Battered and bruised. the hunters were extremely brutal. No inch for mistakes. She fed. Her wounds regenerated and it was off to beatings again. Her mentor gave her time off. She needed the training. The hunters were faster and stronger. Their reflexes were rapid. One moment, a hunter was in front. Next moment, she was flat on her face, her neck held down. Her flesh and muscles sliced by their finger armor. Those were not for decoration as she found out. They were weapons. So much for vanity. Her arm twisted too many times. Even the formerly injured hunter of a brother did not give her a chance. It was necessary. She took it as much as they could give. A missed step was fatal. She saw their feeding hands too many times. Enough to identify them by their feeding slits alone. No need for faces.

After each session, as she walked past a crew member, a look of pity was shot at her. She was a mess. The scent of her blood and sweat on her clothing reeked even though her body patched up tissue after tissue patiently . Hunters were usually selected based on strength and speed with the capacity for quick thinking. Each raiding party would consist of such individuals. They were trained with extreme torturous and barbaric brutality. They were almost the elite. Commanders usually started off as hunters and worked through the ranks. The inseparable duo told her out of empathy for her often battered form. Unlike in their ship, even feedlots were fought over with cold regard. The weaker was left to half a prey or sometimes none. For good measure. Survival of the fittest and cleverest.

The other raiding parties consisted of _more_ experienced and ruthless hunters. The hunters she knew, were mere children compared to the other ships. Vapour shoved the weapon at her gruffly after a short demonstration on a husk in the feedlot. That was only her backup, if all fails. It was set to maximum stun. The next switch was the kill button. _Great_. The _brotherly_ hunter gave her his dagger. He sharpened it for her. _Aim it at the neck, if required_. _Yes, she could do that, if her arm was not twisted in their usual combat scenarios._

Then the good news came. _Well, it was not such good news. _The Commanders of each ship discussed a change of plans. One of the Scientific officers noticed that some of the ground locations was too soft to hold the weight of the ship. A large sinkhole swallowing a ship would be the result. _Unnecessary damage was not acceptable. _They opted for a landing location where the ground was harder. All six ships will be in close proximity. The raiding parties could meet up. _Great, she was beaten up for nothing._ A get to know you meeting was a _much_ _better prospect._

_**Do not lower your guard. You are still not safe from others.**_The hunters told her_._

* * *

The ship crew were busy securing the ship for landing. Every object was packed safely and secured. Re-entry into the planet's atmosphere was often rougher than take off. Even prey husks were secured. The ship wasted nothing. Apparently husks were used as nutrients for something else on the ship. It was after all _organic_. Nothing too artificial except for the Zero point modules and its integration circuitry.

The ship purred. The mist started flowing at an increasing rate to cool internally when it started descending quickly through the atmosphere. Everyone , standing and sitting, were secured in position. From a distance, there were the other five ships, a halo of burning flames surrounded each ship's hull. They chose the cover of night. The natives will assume that it is the usual meteor shower as their world was peppered with valleys, created out of meteor craters.

The vibrations through the ship were rough but not very violent. The ship made a huge yawning sound as it stabilised its descent through the atmosphere. The worse was over. Smoothly it went. The thrusters at full power as they landed with a soft thud.

Immediately, the crew ran checks over their interfaces while the ship pulsated softly. A reassuring purr ran through their old ship. She went through the ships checking the organic panels. The_ Boy_ was busy checking the neural interfaces. The hunters were checking the weapons relay. Her mentor was loading data into his data tablet and reading the reports intently. The Commander was inspecting the visual reports. Vapour was running a hull diagnostic check. It was busy. The crew moved about , busying themselves. Some were clearing the storage unit out of frayed cocoon threads.

The entrance to the ship gave a large groan and opened with a thump. A rush of fresh night air entered the ship as the force fields came down. The other ships were parked nearby. She walked towards the panel near the entrance to do her checks and a _snarl_ came out from the corner outside. The _others_.

A tall figure moved rapidly towards her. Next thing she knew, his hand on her throat as she struggled. _Not again_. The cold golden eyes with slits as dark as the abyss pierced through her. A black swirling tattoo of his language across his left cheek towards his forehead. Others entered the ship. His _subordinates_.

_**Your food escaped its holding.**_ Still holding her by the throat. _**If it went out, it is mine**_.

_**Not yours. Let go of me. **_She scratched his hand and gagged as he tighten the grip.

_**O food that talks our way. **_He showed her his sharp teeth as he hissed._** I like that**_. His predatory eyes amused as Vapour approached to the telepathic announcement of _escaping_ _prey_.

_**Brother, let her go.**_ Vapour sighed. Piercer and the hunters were now gathering but _powerless_. Her attacker was a powerful famed ... Commander. She read their thoughts. She could not find a way to break free. He was _more experienced_.

_**I will give you five for this one. **_Her attacker bargained. _**She fights. I will enjoy feasting.**_

**Well, she did not leave, so she is ours. **Vapourcountered.

_**You strike a hard bargain, brother. Seven for this one.**_ He offered _seriously_ as his finger armors dug into her flesh.

A screaming small bundle ran past the crew and bit her attacker on his knee. He growled and look down. It was the female child. He had enough instinct to refrain from kicking her. He let her neck go. She moved aside coaxing the child now attached to her attacker's knee with_ fierce_ intent. He removed his finger armor and passed it to a subordinate.

_**Don't touch her. **_She ran towards the child who released the teeth hold on his knee and stretched her arms out. _Bad idea_. He picked up the child swiftly and kicked the _prey_ down. The _prey_ fell. The child gave a sharp shrill scream and started crying. _**Sympathy for food? Brother, is your ship crew soft?**_

Vapour narrowed his eyes at his brother.

The _prey_ got up. **Fine. Ten for the female prey. I like the fight in food. **Vapourtried to comfort the sobbing child.

_**She will get us much more.**_ Vapour replied curtly.

_**Your loss then. **_He sneered and let the child move towards her. _**Keep your little caretaker. **_He watched the child sniffling in the tears and hugging the _female_.

He moved towards Vapour. His subordinates following in uniformed precision. Vapour led the way for their new guests.

**Others. Never let down your guard. **Vapourwhispered into her mind as she watched their shadowy figures fade into the darkness of the helm's corridor.


	17. Chapter 17: Raid

Chapter 17: Raid

Groups of commanding officers greeted each other. Some were family with her crew. Some were friends. Some were meeting for the first time. The incident with the _throat grabbing_ Commander taught her not to venture towards the entrance without another crew_ in front_. Unlike the first group, the rest just studied her with predatory curiosity. Most were polite. _Too polite._ An occasional hiss or growl was thrown her way but no physical contact was initiated as much as she knew that they would love to _consume_ her lifeforce. Their thoughts gave them away.

She walked towards the side of the field with the Hunters where the raiding parties were supposed to gather and plan. They surrounded her _protectively_. She was after all a_ sister_ to their fellow hunter. Three groups separated into their clusters was already there, eyeing the other groups with suspicion. The demarcation of boundaries was clear. They had about seven to nine each in a group.

Their group was number four in attendance. They sat in the grass as the others started sizing them up with hisses and growls. Theirs was probably a rag band of young hunters compared to a few fearsome looking veterans. Group one had a whole group with similar curly tattooes on their faces. Group two had dreadlocked hunters with 'Death' tattooes inscribed gracefully in their language on their right arms. Group three was dressed in a type of stylised leather. Another group came. Their hunters had the same braided hair style with braided beards. Some spotted tattooes and some did not. They gave every group a gruff growl in recognition.

Then her worst nightmare came. The _throat grabbing _Commander leading his hunting group of seven towards them. That made six. Everyone rose. It was now posturing time for the hunters. _A meeting of predators_. Her hunting group tried to hide her but they were too _slow_. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out in the middle.

_**You are out of your ship. Mine now. **_He purred near her face, breathing on her while showing his teeth to her. She did not flinch. The others did not move. There was a deathly silence.

_**Your breath smells nice. **_She replied _steely__**. Brushed with flowers today?**_

He smiled with a certain malice while his eyes narrowed. He threw her to the ground with ease. Pointing his finger at her. _**She is the bait for our prey**_. _**No one is to accidentally consume her during the raids. Or I will drain you slowly myself. Accidentally. Understood? **_His tone _dangerously_ silky smooth as he eyed the groups. They nodded. His group was the _lead_ group.

She picked herself up as he continued outlining the routes, the areas and the information his scout brought him. The target village had about a two hundred dwellers. Mostly men. That was where she came in. She was to go in when the skies darkened and find more information on where most gathered. Not bait yet. Just a scout. No one actually argued with him. Not even the hunters from her group. He did command a powerful presence. A _dangerous _one.

_**Dismissed. **_He waved them off after the appraisal of the plan. She turned to leave when he grabbed her arm. _**You are coming with me**_. He growled softly with a certain vehemence. The Hunters could not do anything as they looked on while he dragged her with him.

* * *

She entered his ship with a certain unwillingness. He did not look at her as she was marched through the passageways. The ship smelled different. Looked different from theirs. Musky smells filled the air. Passing crew lowered their heads as _he_ walked past. Then a door opened. He pushed her in.

_She asked Vapour what his brother's sigils were but apparently his brother did not like just anyone to know. "Secretive", Vapour mentioned," some of his own crew would not know his sigils unless proven worthy. After all, we are nothing like the Ancients or Lanteans as some call, requiring a verbal label to everything. We do not need names as you know. Identifying mind presence is enough. An instinct to know who is who. Sigils are granted upon adult initiation. Some may follow the ways of the Ancients and give their sigils like names to even unknowns." Vapour spat. _

_**My quarters. **_He walked across to a large wooden chest and opened it. He threw out the washing implements on the floor at her. _**Get yourself cleaned up**_. _**Your hair is a mess. You are an unattractive mess to the prey. And the clothing is by the table. No one will enter until you are done. Let me know when your task is completed. **_She nodded and he left.

* * *

She was now clean and dressed in a very long fitted red gown with a hooded cloak. Her long ebony hair curled. Nothing she could do about that. _**Done. **_

He came in and looked at her from head to toe. He did not look pleased. _**Sit**_. He commanded her directing her attention to the chair. She obeyed. He opened the chest again and took out a box. Tapping the button, the box opened to reveal a comb, hair pins, hairpieces, and some glossy red paper. Its side was a mirror. He took off his finger armor and started combing her hair, styling it with intense concentration, pinning it up so that her curls fall gracefully. She watched her hair transform into a work of beauty.

_**Take the red paper and press your lips on it. **_He commanded_**.**_

She did as she was told. She looked _different_ in the mirror. Not her _usual_ self. He looked icily at her and gave her the instructions on how to get the type of information he wanted. From batting eyelashes to a _seductive_ tone. She was curious. How did he know what the male _prey_ wanted?

_**That was what some certain female prey did to me. **_He mused. He is a natural hunter, predatory instincts ran through his veins, so observation came naturally to him.

_**What happened then? **_She enquired.

_**Savored them slowly as I drain them.**_ He smiled wickedly. _**All those who try, meet with this fate. The screaming was the bonus. **_His eyes watched for her reaction.

She raised an eyebrow. _**Well, they deserved it then. **__Cold as ice._

He growled. _Disappointing_._ Nothing to pander to his ego._

_**I must return to feed before I go. **_She said. He nodded as she left. There was _no dead nutrition_ on his ship to offer her.

* * *

She walked down to path under the dusk. The ship was abuzzed earlier with her crew mates looking at her. The Hunters studied her style and form noting details from her hair to her dress, in case, they needed it for their next hunting trip. They were clueless on what beauty was for the Ancients. A style done by an experienced one was worthy of closer examination. Her mentor and Second in Command nodded in approval. She looked different. Perhaps much better for the prey. Her feeding slit resembled a scar so it was not a concern for them. She fed quickly with a hunter still following her into the feedlots to examine her hair. It was annoying but necessary.

She looked at the lighted houses. It was not too far from where they said the gathering square was. She moved on quickly towards the location. Two male prey walked past her deep in conversation. The bald one turned and looked at her.

"My lady, where are you off to?" The bald one asked her. Fortunately his language was like the Ancients.

"To meet some one". She replied. Her voice soft and dripping with sweetness._ As she was instructed to sound. _Twirling her curls._ As instructed._

He looked at her. She was _beautiful_ in the moonshine. Curls tied up . Wide enticing brown eyes with luscious lashes. Mouth so red like the flowering buds of his tree. She smiled and turned away. She scanned his mind and it was filth of a _desire_ and a _hunger_ to mate. He sighed at the sight of her. His heart wished that she was to go to the _Pleasure_ house. Such a _young_ one. Like a _goddess of the Moon_. He could visit there soon if she was to be _one_ of the ladies.

Her mind caught the image of the _Pleasure_ house. It was a _mating_ stable for the _prey_. The male preys seem to congregate there for the female preys. Perhaps she should enquire about this house. She walked further into the square and the groups of male _prey_ seem to lay eyes on her as she walked past. A scruffy looking man deliberately stepped in the way.

"My lady, where are you off too". His breath smelled of rank decay. Nauseating as it was, she contained herself.

"Where is the Pleasure house?" She asked gently. Softening her gaze. _As instructed_.

"Why my lady, I would be pleased to take you there" He replied as his eyes trained on her...bottom. Her mind was disgusted with his thoughts. _Disgusting creature_.

He held up his arm and she declined politely as it looked filthy with scaly epidermis. _Sickening_. She would not even entertain the thought of feeding off him, given the choice. _Cleanliness_ was definitely not a priority here.

"Be that way. After a few years, you would be within my grasp". He answered like he was insulted. _How dare he think of owning her? She should be insulted that he even thought of that._

"Follow me" .Rank decay reeked no matter how she tried to smile.

She followed him to a large stone buiding with large windows. Merriment and laughter of couples rang out. So did the _absolutely putrid_ pictures of the actions within the house in her mind. A few female _prey_ were around. _Wearing little to be desired_. In the cold. _Impractical_. Was that even _beauty_? If it was_,_ her crew mates would have attracted a lot of Ancient females_. For feeding. Not mating. _

"Wait" The disgusting _prey_ said in a gruff tone. " I got to tell the _Mistress_ of the house".

He went inside as some of the female prey _glanced_ at her. _Envy. Hatred_. She felt their glances. _Competition_. She smell a stench of cheap flowers approaching her.

A sour faced woman came out dressed in an outfit which was too small for her chest with the disgusting_ prey._ Her blonde hair was bunned up neatly. Her face was powdered white. Her lips were red as fire and her eyes ice cold _blue_.

"This is the girl, looking for my house?" The woman gestured to the disgusting one.

"Yes, my lady" His coarse answer. Fortunately, it was short. Hence less exposure to his foul breath.

The lady of the house came up to her. She bowed carefully and gracefully as she could. As _instructed_. She felt the eyes _scrutinizing_ every inch of her body. The lady lifted her chin and examined her jawline._ She would have to scrub her chin carefully when she get back to the ship._

_"_You would fetch a handsome sum in this town. Or maybe more". The lady said with greed in her voice. "However , it is best that you return in two days time. The festival attracts the wealthy from near and far. They may pay more for such a rare gem."

"How many will be at the festival?" She was getting somewhere. She did not quite _understand_ when it started.

"A few hundred than what this miserable town can offer" said the lady. " When the full moon comes, many of them will worship the Goddess here. As part of the worship, young healthy maidens will be able to _profit"_ The lady inched closer to her ear. "You have not been near a man , have you, my dear." If this lady was referring to the male _prey_, yes she has been near them, _draining_ their life.

"No." She looked demurely. _As instructed_.

"A high sum then , my dear." The lady said. Her eyes gleaming.

"Then I will return". She answered. Oh yes, there will be_ plenty of food_ for all.

The lady of the house smiled. "Of course,my dear, of course". Only a fool will pass up on such a lovely find. There will be _plenty of commission_ for her services.

* * *

On her way back, one lurking man followed her. Fortunately she could see better than him in the dark and escaped running as fast as she could to the ship. Her Commander was waiting together with the other Commander. She reported all the relevant details to them while yearning to scrub herself clean of the village. They dismissed her to discuss other matters. She returned to her quarters and threw herself into a cleaning frenzy.

Filthy _prey_. The stench of prey on her was intolerable.

* * *

The full moon was rising. The raiding groups went into position in the nearby forrests under night but the moonlight was not to their advantage It will be a stun party. With hundreds, there was a high possibility of herded _prey_. The plan to use her as _bait _was_ thrown_ aside. The Hunters straightened and braided her hair like theirs. She was suited up with her leather hunting clothes, three stunners and any weapons she could find. The Hunters had fashioned her a fitted finger armor like theirs. Tiny sigils of their _being_ was painstakingly etched into it with care.

There was a large tent. Loud sounds of laughter and mirth echoed through the area. That would contain a large number of _prey_. The prey had not noticed that the night animals were not making their _usual_ noises. Or the dark bodies moving _gracefully_ through the woods. The prey was _too busy _to care about their enjoyment. Her hunters moved slowly into the target area and waited for the lead raiding party to strike.

Meanwhile another group _separate_ from the raiding groups went to dial the Lantean gate to cut off any possible route of escape. It was an old trick that they learnt from their enemies when their cities burnt, the gates were blocked by the Ancients and Lanteans. Very few survived the massacre in a few worlds because of this method. The survivors passed down this tidy bit of information to their species who cared to listen.

A long wait it was until screamings alerted them. The raiding groups began. They moved closer stunning any available _prey_. Except the_ children of their prey_. Those could not survive the feeding others from the back dragged the _stunned_ _prey_ and tied them securely with weaved cocoon threads for transport back to the ships. Others raided homes for food which was needed for the children on the ship. _Harvest was bountiful_.

They moved towards the area of the tents. There were scores of people running away screaming but the other raiding groups have more than required. Their group also had more than required. So they did not bother with a chase.

She entered the tent out of curiosity. Young female _preys_, dressed in their best gowns, were staring in shock at their tall captors. In a corner away from their sight, a kneeling young female _prey_ however, was trying the_ seduction _tactics on the Commander. The same Commander who taught her how to act _seductively_. He was sitting down, _toying_ with her,like a _predator with its prey_. Planting, what the _prey_ called, _kisses,_ on his seemingly captivated prey's face. The _female_ prey giggled. _At her death. Stupidity knows no bounds_. He ran his fingers along the female _prey'_s neck as the _prey _winked at him. Then he turned away at looked at her. His prey _pouted at her presence_.

_Envy ? Jealousy? Madness, this female prey has met Death and yet does not know it. She felt no pity for his prey._

_**Ah you came to see if I carry out my words. Are you sure you want to watch how I feed?**_ His eyes gleaming with malevolence.

_**Why not?**_ She walked towards him defiantly.

_**I would rather feed off you. However promises to my brother must be kept. He has gone soft on food. **_He stroke his prey's face _adoringly_.

"Take me with you" His prey _pleaded_.

She stopped and _looked_ at his kneeling _prey_. She is young , fair skinned, blonde hair, sharp features. and _probably_ pretty by Ancient_ standards_. The Hunters should really look at this _specimen_.

_**Aren't you going to plea for her life? **_He grinned with malice as he planted another kiss on his prey's forehead while stroking her cheeks softly with his finger armor plates. _Not a good sign. _

_**Why should I? **_She narrowed her eyes at him. The _prey_ was oblivious to their telepathic conversation. The _prey_ was _looking_ at _her_.

He got up and passed her the dagger._** Then end her life or I end hers. **_He challenged_**.**_

Realising something was not right about the silent stares, his prey started moving into the corner. It was instinctual for_ that_ species of _prey_.

_**I do you one better if you want to throw her life away. **_She smiled as she walk towards his quivering _prey_, throwing the dagger to the side. It was now _her_ prey.

* * *

In his quarters, the Commander was _amused_ as he touched the hairpiece she returned after the raid_._ There is always a _first for everything_. The Ancients made an Ancient looking lifeforce draining entity. _By Iratus_. This was hilarious. They made a _predator_ who looked exactly like the _prey_. _Of all the stupidity. _

The door opened. His subordinate came in.

_**Preserve that husk she fed off for testing. I want to know if she feeds exactly like us.**_

His subordinate bowed.

_**Also, pass this to her. My brother should know better than to keep an adult in juvenile clothing. After all, she deserves it since she appears to be quite similar to us. Inwardly. Inform him of my gift.**_

His subordinate took the black leather uniform and pants carefully, leaving the room after a bow.

He stroked the hairpiece tenderly. He always learnt something new on a raid.


	18. Chapter 18: Gift

Chapter 18: Gift

_**For me? Why?**_ She was wary as she looked at the new attire. The black leather uniform looked as _elegant_ as what the rest wore on the _other_ ship.

_**You are an adult now. As such, it is your entitlement according to our tradition. **_His subordinate said.

She just stared blankly at the uniform.

* * *

Vapour was not too pleased with the gift to the _female _crew. His brother never gave anything without_ an ulterior motive_. It was, in fact, _a symbolic claim_ over one of his crew. A very _covert_ one. _Devious_. His gifts never _bode_ anything good. The last gift his brother gave him caused a fight between his other brothers and him. He gave him what _they_ wanted and told them that he was the_ favorite_. That went _well_. _So well that the rest still refused to speak to him. _ And then there was the _disruption_ from another gift which destroyed his laboratory equipment. Not to mention there was one which attracted _Iratus_ to his _quarters_._ It never went well. That was why his brother was ranked over him in a short period of time. Sheer cunning. Probably his brother's next plan was domination of the galaxy..._He snorted at the idea_._

They were moving to a safer location at moon set because of an approaching ionic storm. An ionic storm will disrupt some of the ships' systems if they did not avoid it. With any good chance, his brother's ship may at the other end with two others. _Less trouble. _

He looked at the crew busy at their station. He was relieved to see her in her regular outfit studying the interface intently. Not in the black leather uniform. The Commander of _this _ship would not be pleased. Neither would _he. _He _rather_ lead a crew who were _not_ that uniformed.

Diagnostic checks were being ran. The visual interface was purring with information from the system checks. He walked out into the passageways as crews were bustling past him inspecting panels and relays. Some was moving items to secure on take off. Then Vapour saw...his brother smiling at him.

_**Aren't you supposed to prepare for take off?**_ Vapour stared.

_**My crew are more efficient. They are ready. **_His brother smirked at the bustle.

_**The purpose of your visit?**_ He enquired cautiously.

_**Just to see you,my dear brother.**_ His brother rubbed his beard.

_**You have seen me. What else? **_He raised his ridge.

_**Tsss, always so wary of my good intentions. **_His brother smiled calmly.

**I am busy with the ship. **Vapour grumbled.

_**Oh. Is she also busy with the ship? **_His brother questioned with_ an interest_.

**The female child is being secured. Your concern is appreciated. **Vapour cautiously sidestep his brother. He knew the 'she' he was referring to. His brother's intention may be on _another_. He had _no doubt_.

_**Very well, I am actually here to see your Commander. **_His brother peered at his back.

The Commander was coming to receive his brother._ Oh brother_. He nodded to his Commander and left them to discuss matters. More supervision to do.

* * *

_Transmission incoming..._

_Lead ship has transmitted coordinates._

The Commander nodded.

_Initiate take off. _

_Set course to transmitted coordinates_

_Divert available power to thrusters._

* * *

Vapour eyed the navigational controls intently. Five others were moving towards the clear zone. He had programmed the interface to _specifically_ pinpoint his brother's ship in his personal visual screen.

The ship gave a big yawn and lifted off the ground. The rumbling was mild.

Vapour frowned. They were indeed following his brother's ship. Trouble is going to brew. No doubt that little discussion will involve selling some advantage to his Commander. He looked over at her at the interface. She may well be the target of her brother's intentions. And there was _nothing_ good about them. If there was anything _good_ about them, Iratus would have been the _perfect_ pets on ships and Ancients would be scrubbing their ship floors.

_Beware of those who come bearing gifts._


	19. Chapter 19: Game

Chapter 19: Game

He always got what he wanted. He always won. It did not matter what he did as long as the end result is what he wanted. He needed to maintain the _stagnancy_ of Vapour for him to eliminate competition. If he had to kill Vapour, his own brother, he would. His brother is highly respected amongst the ranks despite persistant silence on the wider political arena. Even amongst brothers, _until _he _brilliantly_ sowed discord. _Of course_. A small test of his scheming capabilities.

Each time, he inched forward, Vapour withdrew. _Passive. Weak_. Yet Vapour commanded a certain respect. The _hybrid_ female on his ship may be a soft spot for him to launch an attack against Vapour. His brother _loathed_ Ancients and Lanteans with _passion_ but this _female_ remained on the ship. The pieces are set. The first move was made. The gift of the black leather uniform to the _female_ may show Vapour's feelings towards her. He already avoided the question on her by referring to the female child of _their_ species. Perhaps the situation was more than it _seemed_.

He mused. Maybe a second move was in order to nudge his brother into an offensive. He sniffed the air. Fresh grass. Good for a walk.

* * *

She touched the black leather uniform. Something did not _feel right_ about this gift. An overnight transition from _threatening the prey_ to_ receiving gifts_. Not _right_ at all. The Second in Command had been watching her. He _never_ watched her until the gift came. There was something going on between the two brothers. She just did not want to be in the middle. _No interest. No value. No point_.

She got up. Perhaps she should go to the databank room. The _inseparable_ duo could be still there. They amused her. _No mindgames. No motives. Just fun._ Or the Hunters. They could be outside. It was a nice grassy outland they landed on. They could _play fight_ there.

_**Are you resting?**_ A firm nudge hit her mind. It was Vapour. It had to be a joke. He _never ever spoke_ to her unless he needed to. Never this informal too.

_**No. **_She replied.

_**Meet me at the entrance. **_And his presence was gone from her mind. Definitely sounded more like a _command_ than a request. Not a _being_ of many words.

She went out into the passageways tentative that a telepathic joke may be played on her. But she saw his shadow at the entrance. _Not a joke. What a disappointment_. She walked up to him. In the sunlight, he looked different. Ah, his sides had two braids. His beard looked neater too.

_**Walk?**_ He asked.

She nodded. She could do with the fresh air and change of scenery. The Hunters waved from the far end of the field and she waved back at them as she walked with Vapour. His mood was as pensive as his steps through the field. They walked silently up a small hill. She did not say anything but it was a long silent ascend. Then he took a seat on a boulder and beckon her to take a seat on the space. The ships could be seen from the hill.

_**Tell me about yourself. **_He said.

_**Nothing personal. I was more of a laboratory experiment. The Old One was my handler. I have no real memories of any nest or family. Why the curiosity? **_She asked.

_**How much did the Old One teach you about our culture?**_ Vapour pensively looked at the scenery.

_**Not much. Just enough to know how to behave.**_ She pulled a long flower stalk and chewed on it.

_**I think my brother has a mating interest in you. **_He added abruptly. She choked immediately.

Thoughts flash through her mind. _**Throat grabber. Ruthless. Pathologically evil. Cold. Brutal. Cruel**_. Her mind added_**. But quite attractive really.**_ His turn to choke. Cacophony at its best with his species. It was funny. "Strike the last part off." She laughed. "I just wanted to see your reaction."

Vapour shook his head. She reminded him of that same brother. _**It would be a perfect pairing. **_

_**No way. **_She shook her head._** I may be a little evil but he is pure evil. I do not think that he is interested in competition**_

They both laughed at that comment. For _different reasons_. He started explaining _why he thought so, the courtship rituals of a potential mate and how one accepted_. She listened intently, silently ticking off the boxes as he listed them. Their culture was intricate. Doing her hair, tick. Gift, tick. Was in his quarters at a forced invitation, tick. Throat grabbing would count as an injury, tick._ By Iratus_, Vapour was _correct_...

Her question came._** Rejection rituals**_?

He explained that she could choose to avoid him or seek company with the Hunters. However the downside was that she was _rejecting_ a high ranking male which meant that should she take a mate formally on _their cultural terms,_ the high ranking male was entitled to a challenge. That challenge would result in the death of her mate or the challenger. There will only be one alive.

Vapour thoughtfully offered her an alternative. _Make him tire of her_. He continued. The moment his brother gave her a black leather uniform, it meant his official recognition of her status in their society. She was essentially a female of their species by that default. It meant that she would have to_ pester _his brother. Usually the females chose their mates but in her position, it was better not to push that boundary.

* * *

From a distance, a lonely figure watched the two in what seemed like a happy couple. Then a firm nudge...of penetrating humidity on the mind of the lonely figure.

**_Dear brother, two can play the game_.**


	20. Chapter 20: Attraction

Chapter 20: Attraction

The walk was refreshing but _disturbing_. Vapour had just returned to his duties. She was informed by Guide that she had to wait for two moon cycles until the technician finished the upgrades on her allocated duty station. A grouchy technician was not exactly desirable to be near with the hissing, growling and snarling._ Especially when he came from the other ship._ Even the Hunters avoided him. Their hissing, growling and snarling was a posturing show for superiority. The technician was more likely to fillet their flesh off at first chance. _Do first answer later_. No need for a show. They _knew_ he would do it. She _knew_ he can do it. No one wanted to_ test _the patience of that technician to see how long they can _survive._

The _inseparable_ duo were looking over a small device with interest in the passageways. She went over and they smiled. _**Care to study a small settlement we found? **_

_**Study prey? What for?**_ Her eyebrow raised.

_**They can be interesting.**_ They chorused. _**Well? Interested? **_ Both snorted**. **_**We put a device in their field earlier today. Besides it is good to know how prey thinks.**_

_**Are we going to consume them after? **_Her hunger..._not hungry_ really.

_**No. They need to breed. If we keep feeding, there would not be enough prey. We only take what we need.**_ They shook their heads. It was odd how they did almost everything in unison. _Almost_.

_**Breed?**_

_**The younger prey. They breed one out of a pair at a time. **_And the other quipped. _**Or two at a time.**_

_**The other ship's Commander seem to like younger female prey. **_She added.

They snorted in disgust. _**He has no regard for balance in prey population. **_

Then they hissed at the images they saw in her mind. _**He likes to toy with them. The way he feeds off those young ones is more about power and control. Not a good example. There must be respect for those we feed on. Even the Hunters from other ships have some form of respect for those they hunt.**_

She smiled evilly as she thought of how she fed on the Ancient Scientist.

_**Well, it is your perogative and that particular one offended you. That was his punishment. Feeding can be used as a form of punishment on an offensive action. Or several actions.**_ They shrugged.

_**So what does your device do?**_ She queried while glancing at the small organic _blob-like_ object. They quickly detailed how they were going to listen in and also watch. It will transmit information _telepathically_. Like some of the interfaces on the ship. She poked at it. It wobbled minutely. _Interesting_.

_**Hey. Don't do that.**_ They reprimanded her in unison. Apparently it was a prototype they constructed using spare organic parts of the ship which no one bothered about. Guide from the control room was also coming. He was a co-collaborator on the design and build of the device. Of course. He was_ that_ brilliant. So learning about the prey they consume must be _important_.

* * *

The group of four moved along the trees on hills. The moon was rising early in this location but the sky was still a clear blue. The two ships were the size of her hands from that distance.

The birds which flew overhead looked like reptiles covered in feathers. _New worlds meant new creatures._ A translucent beetle flew past her. She could see its partially digested prey _inside_. There were four legged insects which resembled the Iratus with their webs but they were no bigger than her fingernail. Their webs were large and hung high above a tree. The native lifeforms were oblivious to their stealth movements.

Then a small hill came up. Behind it was two tiny plumes of smoke.

_**Perfect**_. The _inseparable_ duo chorused, pleased with their lookout. They could see a small group of prey. Close enough to hear remnants of the preys' noises. Far enough to remain hidden.

_**There are about twenty in the settlement. Probably four or five nests of them.**_ They approximated.

Guide signaled them to activate the device. The wobbly blob started transmitting telepathic images and sound. _Fascinating_. This could _eliminate_ the use of scouts. It was as though they were in the _settlement_ itself.

The device projected moving images into their minds. _A couple walked past. A young male and female. Their hands were locked. He was whispering something to her. She laughed and did a graceful turn. He stroked her long blonde hair. An older couple went past and said something to them. Four of them seemed to laugh._

_**The sound is not working. **_She was not too happy. She wanted to know what they said. She was _that_ curious.

_**It is a prototype.**_ They looked at her._** Not perfect**_.

The elimination of scouts is now _unlikely_. She would be more than likely be sent in to scout on the next raiding trip. A soft sigh escaped her.

The images continued. _Two young ran towards the young couple. The male prey picked up one and bounce one young in his arms. The female prey held the other hand in hers. She planted a kiss on the male prey's cheeks._

A thought popped into her head. She could just walk in on the happy couple, drain their lives in front of each other. Perhaps she could enjoy their last looks at each other. Her thought was interrupted by a sharp burst of light in her mind.

**You are becoming like the one who grabbed your throat when we first landed. Brutality should be used when necessary. **Guidehissed softly. _**Let them be.**_

She sulked and disengaged her mind from the telepathic link. The other three seemed to be silently enjoying the images. A warm breeze brushed the grasses across the hill. She looked at the distance. There was a small pile of logs as small figures move around it. Four smaller figures were chasing each other. There was a bundle of something being bounced in the arms of one adult probably. She did not understand _prey_ sometimes. _Why would they bounce a bundle?_

Her mind concentrated intensely focusing on the group of _prey_. Like the way the Hunters taught her._Visualise the prey and increase their size for an aim. Localise their vocal communication for added precision._ It was _a mind exhaustive practice_ which increased the frequency of feeding. No wonder the Hunters were allocated extra rations before a raid.

Her focus returned to the _prey_._They grew bigger in her mind. She could see some of their features now. The rest were hazy. Sounds, there were sounds_. It was their _language_. She could hear them speaking a language similar to Ancient but there were some _deviation_ because she could not make out some. Still _intelligible_.

There was still too much telepathic noise in the background which strained and pulled her mind. She has not mastered the method to filter yet. Perhaps she should concentrate on the two who broke away from the group to walk near the shadows. She closed her mind and focused on them.

Images started forming in her mind and closing in. She saw the figures in the shadows, _another couple_. _Uninteresting. Pointless to see what they look like. _Now for what they were saying. Her mind amplified the sounds slowly and filter whatever it could. Words started forming comprehensively but not complete._ The male was kissing the neck of the female._ A feminine voice of the female said something about _attracted to him_ and something about _love_. His deeper voice seem to talk about _marriage_. _Whatever those words mean. She never understood them. _

Another voice entered her mind. Someone was getting nearer to the couple. A different feminine voice seem raised as the words of_ promise_ and something about how the male _left her_. The two females seem to be shouting about _he being theirs_._ Oh, so female can own the male in their species._ It was good to let the prey of the settlement live then. Her mind vaguely saw the two females tugging each other's hair. Oh _a fight_. _That is interesting_. Female prey of this settlement are _so_ _vicious_. She liked that and promised silently that she will not _consume_ females from this_ particular _settlement.

More voices enter. More hazy figures appear near the _trio_ she was mindwatching. Words from others, something about _there was no attraction , he was attracted to her, love could be troublesome _andmore on_ stop the fight. No, she do not want the fight stopped. That would be no fun. The fighting females were tearing at clothes pointlessly. _She shook her head. _That would not cause much damage physically. Useless. Stupid move._

A arm nudged her and _broke_ her concentration. The three were going back to the ship. They had their _fill _of _prey watching_. She got up and follow with a bright smile on her face. The three were busy discussing the _behavior_ of the prey _they_ observed, how the prey also preyed on other smaller lifeforms, and how they needed to throw their dead food on the open fire. Then the discussion turned to an _estimated forecast _of the prey population based on every pair they spotted in the settlement. She snickered and the three _looked_ at her.

_**The females appear to fight over mating rights of the male in the settlement.**_ She added thoughtfully. _**Your calculations are based on the fact that every available and possible pair breed. An overestimate, in fact. **_

_**True. Even with the Ancients and Lanteans, we never understood how they breed. Their numbers are more constant than others in settlements. Just flat instead of incremental numbers. We assumed that a mate is chosen based on superior genetics. They appear quite obsessed with genetic material. At the rate , they are manipulating genes. There could already be a few hundred species they created.**_ The _inseparable_ duo uniformly chimed in.

_**In the less advanced settlements around our planetary system, they cannot select based on superior genetics when the gene technology does not exists. The pairings appear to be based on something else. I never understood it. And I came across pairings where genetic deformities in one mate can be accepted. That damages their lineage since the genetic deformity will run in the future generations**_. Guide contributed.

_**There is someone who might know but I doubt that you would dare to approach him on the subject. **_The _inseparable_ duo stroked their beards.

_**Who? **_She would dare to approach _anyone_.

_**Second in Command's brother. You showed us your memories. He appears to know the mating rituals of the prey. Or the very least courtship rituals. **_They offered tactfully. _Perhaps not anyone._

_**I do not like that idea**_. Guide objected. _**He did not become a Commander over knowledge sharing. Dealing with him means offering something he can use in return. And in case, there are defects with your perceptions, we are in the lower rank hierarchy. We have nothing to offer of use.**_

_**Her. **_The _inseparable_ duo pointed to her in synchronised precision. _**There are rumors that he has an interest in her. A mating interest.**_

Telepathic rumors. _Great_. Occurs when someone in the know, do not shield their minds on a certain topic. Regularly it happens because most tend to scan passing minds for information and for _use_. She did carefully shielded that information. It was _unlikely_ that the Vapour would be the _one._ He _blocked_ everyone out. It could only be those from the _other_ ship.

**That is fire, you are suggesting that she plays with. Fire burns. **Guidecautioned. He took a close sniff at her. He inhaled on her neck. His sensor pits twitched mildly and he looked _as though_ he was _savoring_ a taste of her scent.

_**Hey!**_ She jumped out of his way.

**There is perhaps an interest. Most likely not mating. More of self interest. She is not producing the necessary amount of pheromones . Yet. **Guideannounced with confidence. The three gawked at him at the entrance of the ship as he politely excused himself to meet with his Commander and Vapour.

* * *

_Pace. Pace. Pace. _He pinched his nose ridge. _Pace. Pace. Pace._

He walked towards a wall of his quarter, turned and walked towards the opposite wall. A growl of _frustration_ ensued. His long white hair flew as he took another turn. _His brother_. The one who loathed Ancients and Lanteans with a passion. Had made a _careless_ _move_ on the _hybrid_ female. A rather _open display with the female _in the grasslands. This was _too easy_. There had to be a _catch_. Yet a _challenge_. He will _win_ this challenge. _Definitely_ not his brother who was a _mere_ second. That _female_ would be the key.

It was fortunate that his brother's Commander was _oblivious_ to anything other than _protecting_ the female child to their final designation. Commanders of the old ways were _useful_. They were_ too focused_ on the main mission than to _play_ in the politics of their kind. They also tend to return loyalty to those who ensured the success of their mission. The upgrades on that _old_ ship was a _small price _to pay.

Time to _advance_. The _plan_ is set in action.

The door opened. His subordinate came in and bowed.

* * *

She walked along the pulsating passageways towards her quarters after an animated discussion with the _inseparable_ duo on their outing. The subordinate was _there. _Outside her quarters_. _Holding small woodenbox. He greeted her _politely_.

His Commander wished her to have this item as he opened the box to display it. Laid on the top of the red silk lining was a shiny dark metallic piece fashioned like an Iratus. Red gems delicately surrounded the sides of the piece. Breathtakingly elegant. She touched it. The one who made it was an expert at setting such a beautiful masterpiece. She has never seen anything like it. Not even on the most adorned Ancient female she saw in the facility. Not even in the marketplace of the old City. _What was it used for? It did not look like a hair piece._

The subordinate smiled. If she _wished_ to know, she had to meet his Commander at the entrance of her ship when the first light break at the horizon. Only his Commander _knew_. Not a _low_ ranking officer like him. She closed the box . She would accept it. He bowed and left.

She turned around back to the control room and found Vapour testing the interface at his station. The only other being was the grouch of the technician digging around the neural relays at the front. She pushed the box to him with a questioning look. He looked at it and open. Another gift from his brother to his female crew member. Expected move but he had no idea what it was. From examining it carefully, he knew it was too delicate to be a personal distress beacon or tracker. If she wanted to know, she would have to meet his brother. If he was in her situation, that would not be an option but she was not him. She was too curious to care about the danger. Youth was always troublesome.

_**Just remember the alternative solution if you do not want to encourage him. Tire him out.**_

She nodded and returned to her quarters.

It was a game of two only. At least, he only be at the side as her _adviser_. The female was_ no_ Lantean or Ancient. Guide had _reported_ to Vapour an opinion of her. She is intelligent , learnt fast, highly flexible to changes but he sensed something disturbing about her _internally_ . She was _similar to_ his brother. The nuance was that one learnt the behavior from experience while the other had it in her genes._ Experience vs Genetics. Which will win? A very intriguing game. They would attempt to kill each other if there was a chance. Perhaps both will not prevail. His brother is trying to use her against him. His brother revealed a fatal flaw. On direct challenge, he detected a tiny leak of emotion when their minds locked at the grasslands. His brother. Ruthless. Yet very obsessed with the female. _

The technician's loud growl alerted him to the interface controls. It was going to be a long while before he can return to his quarters.

Attraction. _Fatal_.


	21. Chapter 21: Power

Chapter 21: Power

Moon set. Soon the first break of light.

_Pace. Pace. Pace. _

_**The door opened**_. His scientist entered.

_**What is the urgency?**_ He growled _dangerously_.

_**Commander, the preliminary sample of the feeding site on the husk yielded some interesting results. **_His scientist paused.

_**Go on**_. His right hand clenched.

_**There is a possibility that the feeder has the Ancient gene. **_His scientist continued. _**Without proper equipment or examination of the subject, I am unable to go on.**_

_**Anything else?**_ The golden eyes lit up.

_**No**_. His scientist answered.

_**Dismissed**_. He waved his hand.

_Change of plans. The female could be more useful than a tool against his brother. His brother did not have access to a scientist. He did. That was his advantage. _

* * *

First break of light on the horizon. From an entrance of what looked like dark shadowy looking mount, one figure silently walked towards her. Eyes glowing in the dim light. The dewy air swept through the grasses as the wind brush across creating a symphony of rustling sounds. A chorus of shrill screeches echo within the grasslands. Shadows of a small flight formation rise gracefully across the yellowish lifegiving specks of light. She inhaled the fresh cool air, it refreshed her. Her ebony hair billowing in the wind. Tucked under her arm, a wooden box.

The figure grew taller and taller. It was the other ship's Commander. She lifted her head. She could feel his presence, strong and proud. His mind like his brother's, blocked from any scanning. Unlike his brother whose mind was like a solid rock seemingly impervious to delving, his was made out of moving watery shields that deflected any intrusion. _Defensive_ and _exhaustive_ to any one who tried to probe. It could explain why his brother was only second. Rocks were inflexible but can be shattered by a _stronger_ force. Water, however, easily conforms to any shape or size and flow to any available gap. _Moldable_. _Slippery_.

A_ low _hiss_. _His mind sized hers up. Hers was like fire. Burns through any obstacle. Fortunately, she was not at her full element. Only a small growing spark in the darkness surrounding it. Water can put out sparks. Should the spark be a raging fire, water evaporates. _She has the potential to be trained. To an extent._

He stood before her and she bowed out of respect for his _status_. His golden eyes was reducing its glow as it adjusted to the increasing light movin towards them.

_**Commander**_. She greeted with a control. The fire in her eyes was _otherwise_.

_**Dispense with formality. Walk with me**_. He looked at her coolly.

She walked beside his taller form as she carefully held the box in her hand. Both of them strolled down a straight path towards the horizon. She looked down at his hands No finger armor. She had a feeling that it was a long silent walk. She looked at the scenery. She had not explored this direction. She stopped and turned around to look. A familiar boulder was across the opposite hill. He beckoned her over the hill. The skies were now a spectacle of flying creatures against the clouds.

Over the hill, there was large dark green shimmering lake with reddish boulders strewn amongst the grass. The native reptilian birds were busy diving below the surface of the lake for their prey. He sat on the soft grass. His neat long white hair partly braided to clear his line of vision. His _predatory_ golden eyes were surveying the landscape.

_**Sit. **_A low multitonal hiss. She took a place an arm's length from his left. Caution was necessary with him. In fact, it was _wise_ to be cautious with him. She rapped the wooden box on her lap softly.

_**The item is not complete. **_His golden eyes fixated on the lake as though searching the greenish depths. He took a red silken pouch from his jacket and pulled another piece of the same design out of it. That other piece had a red gemstone attached to it.

_**It was from my world. Its maker no longer exists.**_ His eyes narrowed at her. He laid it on the ground in full view. She looked at it with _intense curiosity_.

_**And the purpose of giving it to me? **_ She stared at him _coolly_.

_**I have no further use of it.**_ He held his left hand and she passed him the box. She came closer to see what he was doing. He carefully put the ends together. What looked like pinchers tips of her Iratus item seemed to _inject_ into the red gemstone. Completed, it looked like two Iratus holding the red gemstone together. It was a neck piece. The tails interlocked. Her fingers touched the item and the gemstone glowed. Her fingers quickly withdrew.

_**They disengage when you pinch the tail ends hard. **_He directed her towards the tails. She did so. And the pieces separated emanating a hum.

_**Other than no further use, there must be a reason to give me this object.**_ She eyed him with a certain _distrust_.

_**It will not kill you or affect your health. **_He changed the topic. _**You**_ _**may wear it now, if you wish. **_He had _no need_ to explain to anyone about his _actions_. Especially not to _her_.

She _sensed_ it.

_**Then Commander, I would like to ask questions about the prey. However I do not wish to be mauled. **_She looked at him _warily._

_**You have my word.**_ He looked proudly at her. He had _no wish_ to _dirty_ his hands until _feeding_ time. _Or_ when there was a need to _publicly_ _demonstrate_ his_ ruthlessness. He was after all a very experienced hunter. The only Commander to go on raids. He enjoyed his kills. Playing with the young female prey and watching the last flicker of life in their eyes shocked at the viciousness locked in his eyes as he savored their lifeforce. It was his entertainment, a breakaway from commanding a ship. Questions about prey stroked his ego immensely._

She thought _tactfully_._ Tire him out, Vapour's suggestion echoed in her mind. Perhaps questions about prey courtship and mating could disgust him as much as her. _

_**Well, how do they decide to breed? The databanks do not have the answer. And how do you know?**_ The first question came out innocently. She really liked to know.

A _loud_ growl bellowed from him. She took a deep inhalation of air to prepare her escape plan. Her eyes scanned for possible routes. Perhaps the question was_ too vulgar_ for a male of his _high ranking stature_. To her amazement, he started _laughing_. His deep rich multitonal laugh was _melodious_ and _long_. A flock of reptilian birds flew out of the lake as though they were _escaping_ the approach of a more _powerful_ predator.

_**The prey tends to think of mating far more than our species. **_He _emphasized_ 'far'. His laughter stopped and a large grin broke out.

_**Remember how I instructed you on how to deal with prey ? Their baser instincts need to feel a bond. The bond can be usually created sublimally through suggestive actions and physical appearance of the opposite gender. **_His eyes gleaming with a certain depravity radiating outwardly towards the _thought_ of the young _female_ prey he had _consumed_.

_**Such knowledge only comes from old veterans. Know your enemy well. That is a rare art skill found in younger hunters at present. All they do now is to chase and round them up like the prey who work to domesticate smaller edible lifeforms. **_He spat with a special _malice_. _Killing was an art to him. The more challenging the prey, the more he was interested in stalking._

His thoughts drifted to her on how the Ancients and Lanteans were consumed in retaliation for the _destruction_ of his city.

_A certain Ancient scientist created the disease. The Lanteans then seeded it in their population which his remaining brothers and him were witnesses to the dying prolonged agony of his sire. They were the few of barely hundred survivors who suffered the disease, barely lived and formed an innate immunity to the biological weapon. The disease burned through them internally and separated their skin from the muscle through haemorrhaging of the capillaries. For food, they had to row rafts to known prey settlements in their world which some older survivors had traded with. _

_Many did not survive the journey due to the disease severely ravaging through their bodies. Their bodies were resting at the bottom of the sea. Only Vapour and him. Due to their weakened state, they were no match for the male prey and some did not survive the hunt. They were forced to observe prey to determine a point of weakness. The young of the prey were useless to them, they often did not survive the feeding process. _

_He found the young female prey extremely susceptible. Some of the survivors balked at the thought of something weaker. But they were not even strong enough to overpower struggling male prey. Needless to say, most died in the attempt to feed on male prey. _

_He stuck to weaker female prey as his body required their lifeforce to regenerate frequently. Initially, he looked extremely repulsive. However his skin moulted off him revealing a more youthful and smoother surface. He became bolder and ventured into isolated settlements. He learnt to interact with female preys when their mates were away at the fields. These settlements were often cut off from any news. Most did not even know what his kind was or did. The female prey had a certain softness for him if he emulated the male prey's courting behaviour and maintained a certain appearance to their liking on his visits. He took full advantage of it until he was well to overpower the male prey. _

_Occasionally in a raid, he will select one female prey to practice his skills. Just in case, he had use for it again. He learnt more and more about on the ease of making them form bonds to him. Attraction and love , the preys' common words for the bond. Certain female prey craved attention and susceptible to words and actions. He even set two captive females against each other after toying with both for a long while on a raid. For his amusement. And fed them to his hungry subordinates as he sat down watching them plea to him._

Her attention was keenly trained on him. Then he stopped to her disappointment. She gave a quiet sigh.

_**That should adequately answer what you want to know. **_He saw her _crestfallen_ look. She was _spellbound_ to his detailed answer. He sensed that she had a_ special admiration_ for him now._ She paid him homage for his extremely ruthless predatory behavior_.

_**You will learn nothing in your ship.**_ He _seized_ the opportunity. _**Those there are has-beens who are too stuck in their old ways. Or too young to offer any real experience to learn from.**_

She snapped out of her state_**. Where should I go then?.**_ Caution was in order.

_**My ship.**_ He answered sharply.

_Oh no._ Vapour's analysis of his brother rang in her mind._ No, she is not interested in mating. She had no desire to be with any one. She liked being alone_. In her panic at his answer, her mind was vulnerable to penetration. He found a _weak spot_ and got a _reading_ he did not expect.

_**No. No one to mate on my ship or off it while under my command. Mating frenzies are more of a hassle.**_ He hissed loudly. Mating frenzies were problematic. Male officers became more aggressive and argumentative in response to the mating levels of female pheromones. Some would become irratic. Control would be diffcult. A vulnerability and a liability. He had to even systematically weed former officers whose hormone levels never returned to normal after mating. If a tree gave out those pheromones at a suitable level, his men would probably try and mate with it. Besides, the bigger objection was mating with something that resembled food. Playing and toying he allowed. That was his boundary. Mating with food. Or a female who looked like it. Might as well de-evolve and mate with an Iratus Queen. He would punish such a repulsive offence by personally ejecting the offender alive out of the airlock while in space.

_**Think about it. You have until the next moon rise. Before we return to space.**_ He purred patiently.

_**If you decide to come over, feed on your entitled prey in your old ship until you are full. And bring the remainder. They will be stored separately for you. Our feedlots are not for the physically weak. **_He advised. He sized her form. _Too easy_ for his officers to _kill._

She needed a more stringent training routine and her ship left her to do as she wished._ Lack of discipline_. She would be _dead_ at journey's end if she _continued_ with her ship. She _sensed_ it. There will be more of their kind where she was going. Judging by the reactions of the crews from the five other ships on the first meeting, she had a strong _foreboding of doom_.

_Again. Both brothers seem to be asserting that the other had an interest when there was nought. Both of them were in fact using her against the other. Triggering off each other. Except the Commander before her was not directly planting suggestions in her mind. The Commander was subtly planting suggestions in his brother's mind. _

_She could emerge a winner out of this game._

_Knowledge is power._


	22. Chapter 22: Order

Chapter 22: Order

The Second Commanding officer left the Commander's quarters. He was irritated. Other officers moved quickly from his path. They sensed his highly agitated state. None of them wanted to regenerate limbs or any part of their more delicate anatomical structures.

A newcomer was coming to the ship before the fleet took off. The _hybrid_ female. He was not to _attempt_ feeding on her. A waste of good food was an _unacceptable_ thought. And he was also ordered not to _accidentally _or _intentionally_ kill her. His Commander _knew_ him well. He _fumed_.

The _last_ straw was the fact that he was in charge of _guiding_ and _protecting_ her from death. Until she was _ready_. Teaching_ food_ how to _operate_ on the ship and _fight_ for rank. Their _lead_ battlecruiser. From an old _transport_ ship. His feeding hand _twitched_ as he looked at the rest of the crew. They moved quickly away. Someone was definitely going to bear the _brunt_ of his strong _objections_ on this _insult_.

He could _challenge_ the Commander for top position but the Commander would _win_. The Commander had a reason for going on raids. The need for _kill_. And the constant raiding improved the Commander's fighting skills. He was always stuck _guarding_ the battlecruiser. The last spar was not even close. If he had not fed fully to _regenerate prior _to the spar with his Commander, he would have been left for _dead_ in the feedlots. Until he starve or some _opportunistic_ lower rank officer would have drained him dry.

In the command center, he summoned the officer in charge of the feedlots. The feedlot officer came hesitantly, far from his reach. He took the instructions down and scurried off to the feedlots, with a look of relief. Then he beckoned the Scouting officer over. The low ranking officer quickly came over, far from his reach. He _questioned _the Scouting officer over the _female_ since the cowering officer met her. _Satisfied_ with the given answers, he spared the officer a beating. Then a loud commotion from the passageways, he got up and walked out to see what it was. Someone's bones had to break today, he did not _care_ who.

It was the _female._ She had accidentally bumped into one of the hunters, who was coincidentally their Head Weapons officer, on the ship and dropped a wooden chest on his foot. He could watch this. Maybe the sound of her bones breaking could _soothe_ his highly irritable nerves. The female was in a defensive posture from the bigger growling hunter. He sized up both parties. Definitely _bones_. Not one or two. _Several_. Regeneration would be painful , depending on the type of breakage. He was hoping for several compound fractures. The Second Commanding officer was only supposed to protect her from the time of Moon rise. Not any time _before_. And Moon rise was , _well_, he could not really _see_ now.

After both finished sizing up each other, the fight began. Other officers watched intently as they saw her hand reach for the stun gun. _Bad idea_. The fight was _over_ before it even begun. She flew into the wall and several loud crunches were heard when her opponent grabbed her throat and slammed her across the opposite wall. Another loud crack was heard. _Very nice work. Never mess with a hunter_. Then his Commander suddenly came from behind and swiftly threw her opponent away from her. _Spoil sport_. His Commander _looked_ at him with amusement.

_**Not Moon rise yet. **_He bowed respectfully.

_**She came too early. **_His Commander growled.

_**No discipline on her part**_. He added.

_**True**_. His Commander replied.

The _female_ got up with a slight limp and very dishevelled hair, holding her disjointed left arm. The Second Commanding officer examined her. Ah yes, regeneration would be painful. _Perfect_. She bowed to the two high ranking officers as required of etiquette. Her face was a blank.

_**Moon rise now. **_His Commander ordered. _**Brief her quickly before we leave**_.

He went past the Second Commanding officer and entered the command center.

Order. The _life_ of the battlecruiser.


	23. Chapter 23: Fight

Chapter 23: Fight

She studied the vast space through the forcefields of her quarters. Gas giants. Telluric planets. Circumbinary planets. Trojan asteroids. Asteroid belts. The occasional white dwarf from a far. She was due next cycle in the battlecruiser's command centre. The feedlots were particularly brutal with them having to fight for the best feed now. A familiar sight of smaller ship was trailing beside them. _The one with the female child. _

She was a different adult to the youth she was when she stepped into a ship with Ashes and the six children. _Miriya_. The name given to her by the Ancients in their facility. She almost forgotten _it until _last planet they raided. The children called her _Miriya_ as they ran out to meet her. The young female child was blossoming and the oldest of the six she rescued was going to enter a stage before adulthood. They met at the field in the middle of their two ships. The Hunters from her old ship came along to see her. The others were busy. Guide transferred to another ship for training. Tears flowed down the children's cheeks when they were taken back. Their bond to her is still strong. Vapour had encouraged her to bond especially with the young female child. _Ingratiate, if necessary. _There was a reason. Their kind were ruled by females. The young female child could possibly, one day, have ships and alliances at her command as a _Queen_. That was a card she had to hold for _survival_.

She was now used to her identification on the telepathic network. It was a wordless signature pattern, a combination of thought and sensation on the telepathic network. The choice she made was not difficult. Her former ship was filled with the inexperienced. The inexperienced crew had to explore and speculate on knowledge, databanks as well as observations. The experienced ones manipulated and used them but did not teach what was necessary to survive. It was quintessentially a play area for the young. For a _hybrid_ like her, it was a _death sentence_ of choice if she chose to remain.

At first, she sensed a deep seated loathing from the Second Commanding officer. He was nothing like Vapour but he was useful. After their protracted association, albeit the occasional swipes he took at her, he taught her how to do mind exercises. Her telepathy was increasing in strength and the Commander noticed it.

Ruthlessness ran throughout the battlecruiser like the cold misty tendrils on the floors. It was their way of life. _Kill or be killed. _Positions could be fought for at duty stations. The initial feeding was difficult on the battlecruiser. There were the famed fights and the weaker one starved until the next planetary landing. A few of the older warriors had scars of visibly regenerated fingers or thumbs. She watched and timed their schedules to avoid fights with the bigger opponents. She fed to full capacity during raids to maintain strength. The first time she entered their feedlots, two treated her as escaped _prey_. She brutally fed partially on one of them until another officer pulled her off. It was easy. For their size and strength, they _underestimated_ her. Those who witnessed the scene never challenged her after that. She was not punished for it was their way. _Show weakness and be killed. _Her Commander made_ a special exception _if she was to scout or bait. A cocooned _prey_ was brought to her quarters a day before the raid by his orders.

The exercise area was not any better Fights often broke out between officers and hunters on _claimed_ areas. She did not have a problem there. They just grouped together and _sneered_ at her, challenging her to take on more difficult exercise obstacles. It built up her strength and stamina considerably. Broken bones from exercise could be regenerated quickly. Her Second Commanding officer usually turned up when she got injured. He seemed to enjoy the sight of anything broken on her, especially when he was in a bad mood. No help was rendered. Everyone was treated the same except that they seem to enjoy watching her in pain. She gave the Head Weapons officer a wide berth and he, in return, paid her no attention.

She did no sparring with any one on the ship but she was a regular spectator to spars. She studied their fighting form. Her Commander and Second Commanding officer were there sometimes to watch bared back higher ranked officers spar. Some used brute strength. Some used agility and wily techniques which were more effective against a bigger stronger opponents. All had upper bodied tattooes which indicated either their achievements, rank or participation in battles. The lower ranked officers were less tattooed. Often the loser in spar was dragged out , beaten to near death, and thrown into the feedlots to heal. The victor was allowed to feed in peace.

Challenges were also made as desirable combat positions moved from officer to officer faster than a meteor shower. The only unchallenged ones were her Commander, her Second Commanding officer, two scientists and two technicians. A special area of feeding was allocated to the scientists and technicians. Their knowledge was necessary and there were not many of them. The two scientists eyed her with a cold scientific curiousity at first.

One had a dual responsibility of biological scientist and healer. He took regular samples of her blood and mentioned how much he desired to open her up to take a look inside her. She merely smiled and told him to inform her of the results. To his joy, she added that he could request that they send her body back to him if she was dead. He used to look disappointed to see her alive after a raid. No dead hybrid specimen to dissect.

He satisfied himself with her blood. She had to be checked regularly by him. Her Commander wanted to ensure that her pheromone levels are kept to a lower level. He did not want a mating frenzy on the ship. He did not want any of his crew, including himself, to mate with her because of her hybrid nature.

Nevertheless, the biological scientist was very open with discussing scientific topics with her in the library room. If she was fortunate, off duty, he invited his to his small laboratory to educate her on genetics or taught her some sampling techniques. The only good thing which resulted from his experiments with her blood was a cloned ear. For whatever reason, he did it. At least she could get a spare ear if one got sliced off.

The other was a scientist which specialised in planets and space. He was quiet but sometimes join their discussion in the library. He was almost always busy with sensor sweeps of spatial areas or planets. He was also the main adviser of six fleets which depend on his expertise at identifying suitable landing areas and atmospheric changes. There was another of his specialty on another ship and they frequently communicated across their ships inflight. She was designated as his assistant. He just gave her data tablets to read or asked her to ran simple sensor sweeps. If he was free, he gave her a small lesson on geological surveys, planetary disturbances or even on spatial abnormalities like blackholes and subspace tears. No one on the battlecruiser wanted his position or hers. She never got challenged. The only person, both were wary of, was the grouchy technician.

A telepathic wide alert sounded. All crew have to be in battle ready positions. Sensors indicated the appearance of a Lantean ship. She looked out of the ship and saw the other battlecruisers going above her former ship as _though_ forming a protective shield. She ran out towards her station and ran the sensor arrays to sweep the area. The scientist came in and he nodded in approval of what she did.

_**Prepare for battle.**_ He growled softly as he looked at the results in his interface. Early sensor reading indicated ships of their kind were now engaged in battle with the vessel. More of their kind are launching from a point in space on sensor readings. Bigger ships. Ones she never saw in her life. The scientist smiled. Those ships were using the hyperdrives. The Attero device was not active. An incoming transmission from a ship confirmed it. _Gates exploded with the Attero device five cycles ago. Lanteans aborted it._

Fight. To the death.


	24. Chapter 24 : Innocence

Chapter 24: Innocence

* * *

_Incoming transmission from Hive ship..._

_Escort young Queen-in-waiting to following planetary coordinates._

_Another fleet will arrive. _

_Two small Lantean vessels escaped from aurora class battleship._

_Drones likely depleted._

_Destroy on sight._

* * *

Vibrations from shockwaves went through the battlecruiser. Swarms of ships were visibly attacking the Lantean battleship. Bright bursts of light accompanied shockwaves as ships after ships made suicidal runs on the Lantean battleship.

The crew were on alert. Small Lantean vessels have deadly weapons called drones and the capability to cloak making themselves invisible. One drone, aimed perfectly,can destroy a battlecruiser like theirs. She and the scientist were busy sensor sweeping the area. They were moving towards a more stable point in space to initiate the hyperdrive. The shockwaves were not helping.

The battlecruisers and the old transport ship silently moved towards their designated location away from the bright show of battle. Hyperdrives were now initiated. One by one, large iridiscent holes started opening. A mix of greenish, yellowish and bluish hues formed a halo around the holes while moving like ripples of water. She never saw such a sight. The scientist chuckled with a hiss as she watched the first two battlecruisers and her old ship entered the hyperspace window. Theirs was the second last to enter.

As quickly as they entered, the battlecruiser exited hyperspace. She watched onscreen with fascination as the last one which seemingly _pulling_ out of hyperspace. In front of their fleet, a large terrestrial planet beckoned. The scientist started a communication link on his neural interface with the other ship's scientist. She started running the procedural planetary scans for a suitable ground to land.

* * *

Landing was uneventful. The fleet of six were together again. The technicians were busy checking the relays. Half of the battleship crew were allowed off ship. She was one of them. The scientist did not require her assistance. He knew this planet well. Her Commander and Second Commanding officer were busy checking their neural and visual interface. Fresh cold air was rushing into the ship.

_"Miiiiiirrrrriiiiiiiyyyyaaaaaaaaa_." A childish multitonal voice yelled through the passageways of the battlecruiser. She recognised the voice of the _female_ child. Some of the officers looked annoyed at the noise but that was a future Queen and therefore entitled to act as she wish. Before she realised it, the child grabbed her in an _crushing embrace_, crumpling her black uniform. Her Commander walked out to check what was going on.

The child froze at the sight of him and started screaming. "Don't eaaaaaat myyyyy Miriyaaaaaaaaa". Her small arms wrapped around the hybrid female's waist. "Givvvve me baaccck myyy Miriyaaaa". The child remembered her Commander. _Funny_.

"I will give her to you for now. By Moon rise, _your_ Miriya has to come back or I will _bite_ her."Her Commander smiled at the very young but still screaming Queen-in-waiting and growled softly. His sharp teeth were showing conspicuously. _That would give a child nightmares. _The young screamer started wailing as _her_ Miriya tried to calm her down. One of the Hunters from her old ship came running into the entrance, looking for the young Queen in waiting.

Her Commander stood in front of him growling in his highly irritated multitonal voice, " My ship is not for hide and seek games. Her Miriya can probably protect her better than you. _GET OUT_ NOW. GROOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLL"

The Hunter bowed and beat a hasty retreat out of the ship. The young Queen in waiting started dragging _her_ Miriya towards the entrance pushing past the Commander. At the entrance, the child turned around, stopping to stick her tongue out at the Commander.

His Second Commanding officer came out, throwing a quizzical look at the Commander. _**What exactly ,by Iratus , is a Miriya?**_

_**Probably caretaker for the young in Ancient or Lantean language. Not important. **_The Commander pinched his nose. There was _more_ work to do.

_**Oh**_. said his Second Commanding officer as he followed the Commander.

* * *

She looked adoringly at _her_ Miriya in the field. Miriya looked different from her. She thought that Miriya was the best looking being. Miriya flashed a smile . Even her teeth was so pretty. Not sharp like hers or that horrible commander in Miriya's ship. She remembered that the horrible commander wanted to eat her Miriya. Until she bit on his knee.

She saw the two Iratus holding a red gemstone around Miriya's neck and touched it.

"Do you like it?". Miriya asked.

"Yes. Very pretty on you. It makes your long black hair stand out. I like your curls." She grinned happily at Miriya as she toyed with Miriya's curls.

"Do you want it? I can give it to you."

"No. But who gave it to you? He must really like you." She stroked the red gemstone.

"My commander." Miriya smiled at her.

"Really? I do not like him but if he likes you , then I will like him too." She pouted at the mention of Miriya's Commander.

Miriya laughed. She never heard Miriya laugh before but her laugh sounded pretty too.

_"_Miriya, when I become Queen, I want you to be beside me forever." She hugged Miriya tightly.

"What if I want to be in my Commander's ship? " Miriya teased her.

"Ok. He stays with us too. But the ship is yours. Not his. " She said matter of factly.

"He won't like it."

"When I am Queen, he has to obey me." She said thoughtfully.

"Do I have to obey you too?" Miriya pinched the ridge between her nose.

"You are my Miriya . You can do whatever you want as long as you are with me. I feel your presence even when you are on the other ship." She giggled.

"Miriya, can you braid my hair? I want it as pretty as yours." She took a comb with some silk threads out of her pocket and passed it to her Miriya.

Miriya combed her hair and braided it carefully before plucking a flower and putting it on the young Queen in waiting's hair. She ran to a small pool of water to have a look. Her hair now looked so lovely. She was pleased with Miriya's work.

She returned to Miriya and gave her another hug. "I think the other ships are arriving soon, Mama is on it."

Both survivors looked silently at the field of flowers. Their bond was strong through their shared experience.

Innocence. A fresh smell of flowers.


	25. Chapter 25: Alone

Chapter 25: Alone.

A new fleet of six ships were entering the atmosphere as all those on the ground watched. They looked different from the battered and old grounded fleet. It was a majestic sight. Two were larger than the entire grounded fleet. The other four appeared to be a newer version of the battlecruisers. There were more orbiting the planet. Their dark forms could be seen in the clear skies.

The young Queen-in-waiting entwined her fingers against her hand. Two of them stood in front of the males.

"Miriya, Mama came for me. Look!" She pointed excitedly at one of the two ships. "That will be my ship!"

She, in her black leather uniform, smiled at her young charge. "Yes, my little Queen."

The ships started to commence landing procedures. Several flocks of native wild birds started flying away from the scheduled landing site. Everyone waited in anticipation. Everyone was wearing their best uniforms or outfits for the old transport ship. They had busied themselves preening to look good for the arrival of a Primary Queen. The young Queen-in-waiting had spent time at her battlecruiser preparing to look as pretty as _her_ Miriya. Her Commander , in his most _unusual_ mood, styled their hairs and was rewarded with praise from the young Queen-in-waiting instead of the usual screaming or wailing.

* * *

As a _hybrid_, she was tentative of meeting more of their kind. She was always different and there were still others in their own fleet who thought of _feeding_ on her. She was expecting the same thing to happen. Then groups of smaller crafts, which looked like backwards Iratus with an extremely sharp point, started flying out from the two ships in formation creating a shrill sharp screech as they went over the group. It was the announcement of the Primary's arrival.

A large group of similarly dressed officers were walking towards them. A familiar female figure was walking in front of them. It was the _regal_ one. The one she first met many moons ago before the destruction of the Old City. Her young charge held her hand tightly.

_**Well done, you kept the promise made to me.**_ A soft touch on her mind. It was the approaching Queen.

_**A promise is a promise.**_

_**You have been given a Wraith officer uniform. By which Commander?**_ Another soft touch on her mind.

_**Wraith?**_ She queried.

_**Our race are now termed Wraiths in the galaxy now. Because of the first Queen's ability to project illusions to frighten them. The name was such a compliment that we kept it. **_

The Queen approached her young charge and smiled softly. Her young charge let go of her hand and wrapped her arms around the Queen sobbing. The Queen picked her up and held the sobbing one.

_**My daughter really likes you. She wants to keep you by her side. Oh and she told me which Commander likes you. Apparently, he grabbed your throat on the first meeting. **_The Queen comforted the child in her arms.

_**Surviving on his ship taught me a lot.**_ _**However, I am too different.**_ She answered the truthfully as the Queen walked towards the Commanders.

_**Apparently not.**_ The Queen carrying her child, walked up to her Commander.

He bowed his head. _**He gets command of the first escort ship. **_The young Queen-in-Waiting smiled as her mother _scrutinised_ his crew

_**Commander, I trust that your crew will be rather fast learners on this new cruiser.**_ She looked at his old battlecruiser with _disdain__**.**_

_**As my Queen wishes. **_Her Commander bowed again.

* * *

The Queen met the Other Commanders and designated their new posts. A _reward_ for bringing her daughter to her. No one was disappointed. Even Vapour from the old ship was now promoted to a Commander. Guide, whose mind was of the exploding star, was now an official Lead cleverman on the hive ship. He deserved it, after all, he was very brilliant. The _inseparable_ duo were now group leaders of clevermen. She could only make out that their foremother was _Gryphon_. _Whoever she was_. She could sense the excitement from the group and the _satisfied_ telepathic babble. They had new ships to go to. Except for _her_.

The Queen walked past her. _**Your reward awaits. Follow me.**_

She followed the Queen and her former young charge to the Hive ship while intermittently looking back at those of the former fleet. Even the five other children were animatedly discussing their designated ship. Everyone were absorbed with their discussions. She was alone in the crowd. She was _forgotten_ by the crew she served with. Except for her former young charge who kept turning to check if she was there. The Queen's entourage started gathering behind them and the familiar faces. disappeared in a sea of black coats and uniformed looking faces.

_Alone_.

* * *

Author's note: Update 2016 A sequel is in progress. Wraith: Paths of Origins. Too many chapters might bore the readers.


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